Death Valley (1982)

Synopsis

The movie Death Valley (1982) follows a family passing through Death Valley where a serial killer cowboy and his twin brother prey on victims.

Billy is traveling to Arizona to join his divorced mother Sally and her boyfriend Mike. They drive through Death Valley where a cowboy killer and his twin have just murdered a couple at an abandoned gold mine. Billy takes the killer’s frog pendant from the scene.

The serial killer cowboy pursues them to retrieve his pendant. The family stops at a motel unaware of the danger as the killer lurks outside their rooms. Billy encounters the cowboy’s mentally challenged brother who reveals the pendant’s importance.

The killer finally confronts Billy and chases him across the desert landscape. Billy escapes by ramming the cowboy with a car, but the psychopath rises unfazed. In the climax of the movie Death Valley (1982), Sally shoots the killer dead after a tense standoff.

The movie Death Valley (1982) delivers a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase across the desolate valley as the family tries escaping the relentless cowboy killer. With its eerie desert setting and violent showdown, it provides B-movie horror entertainment.

Cast

Paul Le Mat as Mike
Catherine Hicks as Sally
Stephen McHattie as Hal
Wilford Brimley as Sheriff
Peter Billingsley as Billy
Edward Herrmann as Paul Stanton

Trivia

The movie Death Valley (1982) was filmed on location in California’s Death Valley National Park.
The film features a young Peter Billingsley, who later gained fame for his role as Ralphie in A Christmas Story (1983).
Death Valley was released as part of the slasher film boom of the 1980s, capitalizing on the popularity of the genre at the time.
The film received mixed reviews upon its release, with some praising its suspenseful atmosphere and others criticizing its predictable plot.