It’s Monday, you know what that means. That’s right, it’s time for another installment of Review Stew! This week we turn to the wonderful world of Tubi and their plethora of horror offerings where we find… Deadline (1980).
Title: Deadline
Director: Mario Philip Azzopardi
Released: January 1, 1980 (Canada)
Runtime: 1 hour 30 minutes
Watched via: Tubi
Steven Lessey (Stephen Young) is a husband, father, and writer. In fact, he’s quite successful within the horror genre. His schlocky style of horror films are adored by fans and the pressure to replicate each prior project weighs on Steven. Deadline after deadline he pumps out story after story, one day hoping to be able to have the freedom to explore more within the horror genre.
As you can probably imagine, the constant pressure of deadlines takes its toll on Steven’s marriage and his relationship with his kids. Unfortunately for Steven, his marriage and family life all begins to crash in on him as he’s feeling burnt out with the constant deadlines.
The lines of reality begin to blur as scenes from his writing begin to find their way into his life. But when he’s spiraling towards a mental breakdown, how can Steven determine what is real and what isn’t?
Being that Deadline (1980) is about a schlocky horror writer, I assumed we’d be getting a B-schlock horror movie. I guess in some ways that’s exactly what we got, just a dark and bleak version of it.
While the overall narrative is a bit choppy and uneven, it still manages to be entertaining. Having us watch Steven’s descent into madness and face criticisms of the horror genre, unable to determine what is real and what isn’t, these are some of the strongest moments in the film.
Fear not though, as Deadline (1980) is not a one-trick pony. Luckily, we’re also treated to plenty of blood, gore, and pretty solid practical effects.
If you were looking for a cherry on top to confirm that Deadline (1980) is worth your time, it also has a tight 90-minute runtime.
Will it be the best thing you watch this week?
More than likely not, no. But there are plenty of worse ways that one can spend 90-minutes.
Have you seen Deadline (1980)?
If so, leave a comment below or reach out on Bluesky and let me hear your thoughts on it!
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