''Skullduggery'' (also known as ''Warlock'' and ''Blood Puzzle'') is a 1983 Canadian

comedy horror film Comedy horror, also known as horror comedy, is a literary, television, and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as able to be categorized under three types: "black comedy, parody and spo ...

directed by Ota Richter. The plot depicts the devil using a role-playing game to transform a young man into a serial killer.

Plot

A group of young adults working at a costume rental store also collaborate on a

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

role-playing game. One of the players, a young man named Adam (Thom Haverstock), is the descendant of a long line of men who are all cursed by the devil. While working at the community college theater performance, a strange magician appears and puts a curse on Adam, forcing him to remember the fate of his ancestors and to make him believe that he really is a warlock. Increasingly, Adam is unable to determine the difference between fantasy and reality and believes that, as a warlock, he is on a quest to kill various people. As the bodies pile up, the local police are baffled and no one suspects that Adam is a deranged serial killer being commanded to kill by the devil. After having played the role-playing game with instructions to kill all the members of the Apostles of Hell before they kill him, Adam attends a costume party hosted by a man named Dr. Evil, who wants Adam to join his cult and also kill most of the party guests. When the police figure out that Adam is the killer, they corner and shoot him in a factory, but his body disappears and leaves a puppet in its place. The survivors play a game with a suit of knight's armor seated in Adam's place. The armor comes to life and kills their dungeon master. Upon looking at the body, they learn that their dungeon master was Dr. Evil, and by extension, the devil.

Cast

David Calderisi David Calderisi (born 21 June 1940) is a Canadian actor with a career in both Canada and the United Kingdom. Early life and education Calderisi was born in Montreal and attended McGill University. Career After training as an actor in Lo ...

as Sorcerer / Dr. Evil *

Wendy Crewson Wendy Jane Crewson (born May 9, 1956) is a Canadian actress and producer. She began her career appearing on Canadian television, before her breakthrough role in 1991 dramatic film ''The Doctor (1991 film), The Doctor''. Crewson has appeared in ma ...

as Barbara / Dorigen * Thom Haverstock as Adam * David Main as Chuck * Jim Coburn as Simco The Magician *

Kate Lynch Kate Lynch (born June 29, 1959) is a Canadian film, television and stage actress, drama teacher, theatre director and playwright. Biography In 1980 she won the Genie Award for Best Actress for ''Meatballs''. She was notably adept at improvisation ...

as Janet *

Starr Andreeff Starr Andreeff is a Canadian producer and former actress from Hamilton, Ontario. She was Miss Teen Hamilton and a semi-finalist in the 1980 Miss Teen Canada pageant. She is best known for her roles in B-movies such as ''Dance of the Damned'', '' ...

as Irene * Claudia Udy as Dolly *

Clark Johnson Clark Johnson (born September 10, 1954), is an American-Canadian actor and director who has worked in both television and film. He is best known for his roles as David Jefferson in ''Night Heat'' (1985–1988), Clark Roberts in '' E.N.G.'' (1989 ...

as Dave * Geordie Johnson as Jake * Jack Anthony as Mr. Sluszarczuk * Sharolyn Sparrow as Carmen * Patricia Nember as Ginny

Release

The film was released during a public backlash against games perceived as promoting occult activities among young people. Following its 1983 theatrical release, the film was later issued on VHS by

Media Home Entertainment Media Home Entertainment Inc. was a home video company headquartered in Culver City, California, originally established in 1978 by filmmaker Charles Band. Media Home Entertainment also distributed video product under three additional labels — ...

, and then licensed to budget label

Video Treasures Anchor Bay Entertainment (formerly Video Treasures and Starmaker Entertainment) was an American home entertainment and production company. It was a subsidiary of Starz Inc. Anchor Bay Entertainment marketed and sold feature films, television ser ...

. JEF Films released a DVD in January 2008.

References

External links

*
Rotten Tomatoes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skullduggery (1983 Film) 1983 films 1983 horror films Canadian supernatural horror films English-language Canadian films History of role-playing games 1980s English-language films 1980s Canadian films 1980s slasher films Canadian slasher films