⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Indonesian heartthrob Barry Prima, shows off his muscular attributes in this tame but fun enough South Asian Friday the 13th variant. A waterlogged cache of gold brings three treasure hunters out to a lake in the middle of the woods. A trio of teens on a fun-filled camping trip have also set up in the area. As these things go, a black-clad mystery person is skulking around the place, keeping a close eye on the six visitors. Prima rescues one of the gals from drowning and romance blooms between the two attractive folks. The boy gets a bit jelly and the treasure hunting boss gets a bit annoyed his men are focused on the female booty and not the hidden gold. A boat attack by the ninja-esque weirdo tips off the treasure hunters that they are not welcome but greed has a way of bringing out the stubborns in anyone... even that Adonis, Barry Prima. They pull up a big crate from the seabed only to discover it’s a coffin, nasty weather follows and soon all six dinks are huddled up together in an old crap shack. One by one they’re picked off as they foolishly separate for whatever bullshit reason. It’s all very familiar territory but made better by its action/adventure focus with minor elements of stalk and slash. The whole thing just feels off because of what we Americans expect from an early 80s slasher. The killer remains the same (although this time it’s an un-introduced woman guarding the treasure, not avenging her freak son’s death by negligence) and the climatic jump scare sting makes even less sense... maybe... there were no subtitles so I could be way off. Speedboat hijinks, karate catfights, mud-faced zombies made possible by the power of imagination, and a real lack of the red stuff adds to the off-kilter vibes. I dug it but I have a life-size poster of a shirtless Barry Prima on my bedroom wall… so I’m pretty fucking bias.
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