''Death Spa'' (known in Europe as ''Witch Bitch'')
is a 1989 American
horror film
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes.
Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...
directed by Michael Fischa and starring William Bumiller,
Brenda Bakke,
Merritt Butrick,
Ken Foree,
Karyn Parsons, and
Vanessa Bell Calloway. Butrick's role in the film was his last before his death, while Parsons's role marked her feature film debut as an actress.
Synopsis
After Michael Evans's wife Catherine Avery Evans, a recent suicide,
possesses the computer at her husband's high-tech health club, she begins to use the club's exercise machines, dumbbells, and other equipment to murder members.
Cast
* William Bumiller as Michael Evans
*
Brenda Bakke as Laura Danvers
*
Merritt Butrick as David Avery
* Robert Lipton as Tom
* Alexa Hamilton as Priscilla Wayne
*
Ken Foree as Marvin
*
Rosalind Cash as Sergeant Stone
*
Francis X. McCarthy
Francis Xavier McCarthy (born February 15, 1942) is an American actor who has appeared in films such as '' Interstellar'' (2014) and '' Deep Impact'' (1998).
Filmography
References
External links
*
1942 births
Living people
American ...
as Lieutenant Fletcher
*
Shari Shattuck as Catherine Avery Evans
*
Hank Cheyne as Robert
*
Chelsea Field as Darla
*
Joseph Whipp as Dr. Lido Moray
*
Tané McClure as Vicky
*
Vanessa Bell Calloway as Marci Hewitt
*
David Shaughnessy as Freddie
*
Karyn Parsons as Brooke
*
Lyle Howry
Lyle Howry (born June 19, 1958, in Los Angeles) is an American Award-winning film producer and philanthropist . He is known for his MMA film, ''Street'' (2015), ''You Can’t Have It'', ''Warriors of Virtue'' and ''Delta Force One: The Lost Pat ...
as Cop
Production
According to director Michael Fischa, "the health craze had blossomed in LA.
ealth clubscame up like mushrooms. So quickly that they went out of business. So we thought, basically, we turn it around and we have a ghost in our health club. That could be a fun scenario".
Home media
The film was first released in Japan in 1989 on video, before being released directly to
VHS in the United States in 1990, and was released on a
Blu-ray/
DVD combo pack in 2014.
In Popular Culture
In 2014, ''Death Spa'' was featured on an episode of
Red Letter Media's "Best of the Worst" along with ''
High Voltage'' and ''
Space Mutiny''.
In 2015, ''Death Spa'' was featured on a
episodeof the popular podcast ''
How Did This Get Made?'', featuring
Horatio Sanz as the guest. They ridiculed several aspects of the film, such as the 80's workout gear, the
paranormal-
transgender villains, and whether or not serving sushi in a place of exercise is sanitary.
Actress
Karyn Parsons made her screen debut in ''Death Spa'', and was subsequently brought in to audition for ''
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' after an NBC executive saw the movie on late-nite cable.
References
External links
*
*
1989 direct-to-video films
1989 horror films
1989 films
1980s slasher films
Films directed by Michael Fischa
1980s English-language films
Films about spirit possession
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