Death Spa (known in Europe as Witch Bitch)[1] is a 1989[2][3] American horror film 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.[4]
Death Spa | |
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Directed by | Michael Fischa |
Starring | William Bumiller Brenda Bakke Merritt Butrick Ken Foree Robert Lipton Karyn Parsons Vanessa Bell Calloway |
Cinematography | Arledge Armenaki |
Release dates |
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Running time | 87 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $750,000 |
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.
According to director Michael Fischa, "the health craze had blossomed in LA. [Health clubs] came 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".[1]
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.[5]
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.[6]
In 2015, Death Spa was featured on an episode of the popular podcast How Did This Get Made?, featuring Horatio Sanz as the guest.[7] 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.[8]
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