Jack Deth

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Jack Deth
Trancers character
Jack Deth, Trancers character.jpg
First appearance Trancers (1984)
Last appearance Trancers: City of Lost Angels (2013)
Created by Charles Band
Portrayed by Tim Thomerson
In-universe information
OccupationTrancer Hunter
SpouseLena (divorced)
Alice (deceased, separated-upon-resurrection)
ChildrenJosephine "Jo Deth" Forrest (daughter, possession)

Jack Deth is the main protagonist in the Trancers films, which were originally produced by Charles Band of Empire Pictures, and later Full Moon Entertainment, from 1984 to 2013. [1]

Contents

Jack Deth is a wisecracking police detective in Angel City (formerly Los Angeles) and is portrayed by Tim Thomerson in six out of the seven films, as well as having a cameo appearance in the movie Evil Bong . [2] Jack's job is finding and killing "Trancers"—the zombie-like sub-humans who obey the command of the powerful and (often psychic) villains throughout the series.

Appearances

Films

Trancers

Jack Deth is a cop from the 23rd century in Angel City (the renamed Los Angeles, following an earthquake). Jack is brought out of retirement by the council of Angel City, who want him to re-capture Trancer mastermind Martin Whistler, who had escaped back to the year 1985 with a plan to assassinate the ancestors of Angel City's three ruling governors, ensuring they'd never be born. Using a special serum, Jack's consciousness is sent back to 1985. Upon arriving in the body of his ancestor Philip Dethton, Jack meets Lena (Helen Hunt) who assists him as he finds and kills Whistler. Jack chooses to remain in 1985 with Lena.

Trancers: City of Lost Angels

A Trancers segment was originally planned for inclusion as part of an anthology film called Pulse Pounders. However, the movie was never completed due to budget restraints and the collapse of Empire Pictures. After this, Charles Band founded the Full Moon company, and the basis for that film was used in Trancers II . [3] The 'lost footage' (really, just around 20 minutes) from Pulse Pounders was digitally remastered and made into Trancers: City of Lost Angels (otherwise known as Trancers 1.5), that was made available for download via fullmoonstreaming.com but then released on DVD in November, 2013. [4] In that short movie, Deth has to fend off against a dangerous female assassin.

Trancers II

Set in 1991, Jack has married Lena. Dr. E.D. Wardo, Whistler's brother, had begun trancing mental patients and homeless people using an addictive drug from the future called scurbosa, which he has been growing in a nearby greenhouse using smuggled seeds. In order to stop Wardo, Jack's first wife, Alice Stillwell, had been resurrected, but was still trapped inside the body of her ancestor, who just happened to be a mental patient herself. After Lena is captured by Wardo's men, Jack and Alice track Wardo down to his scurbosa greenhouse and kill him. Alice is sent into the future while Jack chooses to remain in the present with Lena.

Trancers III

In 1992, Jack was forcefully returned to the future by the android Shark. There, the remaining council leader, Harris, and Alice have Jack go to 2005 in order to end a Trancers scheme that was fully sponsored by the government. Jack was once again able to stop the Trancers and program director Col. Daddy Muthuh with help from Lena (now happily remarried and with a daughter). After that battle ended, the Trancers seemed to have been wiped out for good.

Trancers 4: Jack of Swords

During an assignment, a stowaway creature called a Solonoid caused Deth's time machine to make a crash landing in another dimension called Orpheus. Jack gets caught up in a war between the surviving humans and the never-before-seen vampire like Trancers called Nobles, as well as their fearsome leader, Lord Caliban.

Trancers 5: Sudden Deth

Still in Orpheus, Jack learns of a talisman called the Tiamond that could allow the possessor to cross dimensional realms. Jack and his companion Prospero journey to the Castle of Unrelenting Terror to obtain it, so that Jack could return to Angel City. Jack uses the Tiamond to return to L.A., somehow bringing Prospero with him.

Trancers 6

Jack learns from Dr. Jennings that he fathered a daughter called Josephine. Josephine was in danger because she saw a meteor fall to the Earth, which contained an alien Trancer. Jack inhabits Josphine's body when the newest group of Trancers appeared in her time and began using the energy from the meteor to mass-produce more Trancers. Once he defeats the Trancers, Jack decides to remain in the guise of his daughter, in case the Trancers should return.

Other films

Thomerson (as Jack Deth) appeared in the 2006 movie, Evil Bong , briefly talking to someone in a dream-like state. Other Full Moon-related characters also appear in this film, including Ivan Burroughs from Decadent Evil and the cackling Jack Attack from the Demonic Toys movies, although Evil Bong isn't canonical.

Merchandise

Eternity Comics released a short Trancers series in the 1990s. Another Trancers comic was issued in 2015.

Related Research Articles

Joseph Timothy Thomerson is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Jack Deth in the Trancers film series and for his work in numerous low-budget features and for his comedic television roles, as well as appearing in mainstream films such as Uncommon Valor, Air America, Volunteers, Who's Harry Crumb?, Iron Eagle, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas..

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Band</span> American film director

Charles Robert Band is an American film producer and director, known for his work on horror comedy movies.

<i>Trancers</i> 1985 film by Charles Band

Trancers is a 1984 American science fiction action film directed by Charles Band and starring Tim Thomerson, Helen Hunt, and Art LaFleur. It is the first film in the Trancers series. Thomerson plays Jack Deth, a Philip Marlowe-esque police detective from the 23rd century who travels to the 1980s to bring his old nemesis to justice. The film portrays a unique method of time travel: people can travel back in time by injecting themselves with a drug that allows them to take over the body of an ancestor.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Full Moon Features</span> American motion picture company

Full Moon Features is an American motion picture production and distribution company headed by B-movie veteran Charles Band. It is known for the direct-to-video series Puppet Master, Trancers, and Subspecies, as well as the film Castle Freak and the VideoZone featurette through 1989 to 2013.

<i>Evil Bong</i> 2006 American film

Evil Bong is a 2006 American stoner horror comedy film directed by Charles Band about a group of stoners who smoke from a sentient, malevolent bong that traps the smoker in The Bong World, a surreal realm filled with killer strippers and other Full Moon creatures. The ending features an extended cameo by Tommy Chong, of Cheech & Chong fame. Brandi Cunningham from VH1's Rock of Love with Bret Michaels and horror icon Bill Moseley also make appearances in the film. It has spawned a franchise.

<i>Trancers 6</i> 2002 American film

Trancers 6 is a 2002 American science fiction horror film directed by Jay Woelfel and starring Zette Sullivan, Jennifer Capo, Robert Donavan, Timothy Prindle, Jere Jon, Jennifer Cantrell, Ben Bar, James R. Hilton, Kyle O. Ingleman, Gregory Lee Kenyon and Douglas Smith. The film was produced by Johnnie J. Young of Young Wolf Productions.

<i>Trancers II</i> 1991 American film

Trancers II is a 1991 American direct-to-video science fiction action film directed by Charles Band. It is a sequel to Trancers and is set six years after the events of the first.

Richard Howard Band is an American composer of film music. He has scored more than 140 projects, including From Beyond, which won the award for Best Original Soundtrack at the Sitges Film Festival. Lately he scored Exorcism at 60,000 Feet (2020) and Necropolis: Legion (2019).

<i>Dollman vs. Demonic Toys</i> 1993 American film

Dollman vs. Demonic Toys is a 1993 American direct-to-video horror film. It is a continuation of three films released by Full Moon Features: Dollman, Demonic Toys and Bad Channels.

<i>Trancers III</i> 1992 American film

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Dollman is a 1991 American science fiction action film directed by Albert Pyun and starring Tim Thomerson as the space cop Brick Bardo, also known as "Dollman"; he is only 13 inches (33 cm) tall. Bardo is equipped with his "Kruger Blaster", which is the most powerful handgun in the universe. The film also stars Jackie Earle Haley as Bardo's human enemy, Braxton Red. "Brick Bardo" is a character name used by Albert Pyun in films dating back to his second film, Radioactive Dreams.

<i>Trancers 4: Jack of Swords</i> 1994 American film

Trancers 4: Jack of Swords is a 1994 American sci-fi fantasy adventure film starring Tim Thomerson as Jack Deth. The film also features Stephen Macht and Stacie Randall. It was filmed back-to-back with Trancers 5: Sudden Deth in and around a castle in Romania that was also used in another Full Moon Entertainment produced film series called Subspecies.

Trancers 5: Sudden Deth is a 1994 American sci-fi fantasy adventure film written by Peter David, directed by David Nutter, and starring Tim Thomerson as the time-traveling "trancer hunter" Jack Deth. It marked, to date, Thomerson's last appearance as Jack Deth, excluding his cameo in Evil Bong.

Pulse Pounders is a 1988 American anthology film directed by Charles Band. The film is composed of three 30-minute films, two of which are sequels to The Dungeonmaster and Trancers. The third is an adaptation of H. P. Lovecraft's "The Evil Clergyman". Pulse Pounders was originally shot during 1987 and 1988 with the intention of being released, but was shelved due to the collapse of Empire Pictures.

Trancers: City of Lost Angels is a short science fiction film that was released on DVD in 2013 and later a bonus addition for other releases of the original Trancers on Blu-ray. It consists of approximately 20 minutes of footage lifted from the unreleased 1988 anthology film, Pulse Pounders, which also featured two other segments. It stars Tim Thomerson who reprises his role as the time journeying cop, Jack Deth, from 1985's Trancers. The film is marketed as a digitally restored lost sequel. The film takes place between Trancers and Trancers II.

Trancers is an American action-science fiction film series started in 1984 by Empire Pictures, and continued by Full Moon Features. All but the most recent film star Tim Thomerson as Jack Deth, with the latest using stock footage from previous films.

Demonic Toys is a series of films that center on a collection of seemingly harmless playthings that are in reality the avatars of powerful demons from hell who seek to cause havoc in the mortal world.

References

  1. "Deth Eternal Part Two | Mania.com". Archived from the original on 2008-08-21. Retrieved 2008-11-22.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2009-09-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "Pulse Pounders (NOT RELEASED)". eofftv.com.
  4. "Toyland :: The First "Demonic Toys" Homepage". Archived from the original on 2013-07-21. Retrieved 2013-07-13.