A divorced mother, her young son and her new boyfriend set out on a road trip through Death Valley and run afoul of a local serial killer.A divorced mother, her young son and her new boyfriend set out on a road trip through Death Valley and run afoul of a local serial killer.A divorced mother, her young son and her new boyfriend set out on a road trip through Death Valley and run afoul of a local serial killer.
- Sheriff
- (as A. Wilford Brimley)
- R.V. Boy
- (as Kirk I. Kiskella)
- Tour Guide
- (as Roy S. Gunsburg)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe movie was released on home video during the 1980s but was not officially released on DVD until December 2012 making its DVD release occur during the 30th Anniversary year of the film.
- Quotes
[Billy has locked himself in the bathroom]
Hal: I'll tell you something, Billy...
Billy: What?
Hal: [starts to force door with knife] We got a hollow door here. It's made in Japan. Billy, I could bust through this really easy, but it would cause a mess. So, what I could do is, I can get the molding off, and I think that's the way to go. Are you all right in there? So, we got a little problem here, but I'll get you out. You stay calm in there. Remember, most accidents happen in the home. There it is. I don't believe that they use doors like this. I'll get you out, don't worry. It's easy as pie. Be careful of that water, now. Remember, you're in the desert! I'll have you out of there in a second. There we go. Now, just one little push, and we're home free.
- Alternate versionsIn some TV versions before Billy and his mom arrive at the airport. Mike is seen buying comic books for Billy. Also when they go to the restraunt to eat Later on Billy's mom tells Billy to stop staring at the customers. Finally right after the restraunt scene Billy goes to the pool area where he meets Stu ( the other psycho killer) which is Hal's twin brother. He sees that Billy has his necklace and tries to take it and drown the boy or we, the audience have that assumption.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Monstervision: Death Valley (1997)
Later the necklace becomes a clue that is handed over with much guilt and tears to the town's sheriff played by Wilford Brimley. Soon after, the sheriff has a mining pick stuck in his chest after stupidly going over to the killer's house with clue in hand and basically asking, "Hey, look what I found at a murder scene," and knowing full well that the necklace belongs to the killer. Oops!
The killer believes Billy knows too much and needs to be eliminated. From this point on the film becomes a tense cat-and-mouse game that ends with more than a few dead.
Death Valley was released in 1982 without much fanfare or promotion and was quickly lost among the glut of slasher films being churned out by Hollywood at that time. That is unfortunate because the film features everything horror fans love: breasts, gore and excitement. This film also features a tense Henry Manfredini-like musical score by Dana Kaproff and excellent cinematography by Stephen Burum. Billy's mother is played by the beautiful Katherine Hicks (spelled Catherine on the video box) who played Marilyn Monroe in the television movie, Marilyn: The Untold Story.
Another reason to watch this film is for the brief appearance of Gina Christian, in her only film role, as R.V. Girl. Gina Christian is the reason tube tops were invented. Wow!
- gein
- Jan 24, 2000
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![Peter Billingsley and Stephen McHattie in Death Valley (1982)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMzdjNmZlMDktYWY2ZC00ZDdhLWJiMTMtZjljZTA3OTdkOWFjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTY5Nzc4MDY@._V1_QL75_UX90_CR0,3,90,133_.jpg)