Deadly Friend — Deadly Friend ( Blu Ray)
Deadly Friend was the seventh film directed by horror icon Wes Craven (Last House On The Left, Nightmare On Elm Street, Scream). And the mid-80s film certainly stands as his most weird and tonally unbalancing creation, as it shifts from cute robot family movie to teenage abuse drama, to mad doctor meets supernatural slasher blend. Here from Arrow Video is a recent Blu-ray release- taking in a new commentary track, and a selection of new/ archive extras.
Deadly Friend (working title A.I.) appeared in the year 1986- it was directed by Caven and co-written by Diana Henstell and Bruce Joel Rubin. I don’t think I need to give a rundown of films/ bio for Mr Caven, but let's take a look at the writer's career. Diana Henstell was born in Forest City, Pennsylvania, and the film is based on her 1985 novel Friend- she had two other novels to her name, 1984’s The Other Side, and 1987’s New Morning Dragon- both of which were horror novels. Detroit-born Bruce Joel Rubin has fourteen scripts to his name, taking in the likes of Ghost, Jacob's Ladder, and Stuart Little 2.
The film rolls in at your fairly standard one-and-a-half-hour mark, but boy, does it take in a lot of shifts in tone/ genre. We open up as a family robot drama/ adventure- with boy genius Paul (Matthew Labyorteaux), his rather cliched middle-aged 1980’s mum, and constant jabbering robot Bebe move into a new neighbourhood. Here, Paul meets local paper delivery boy Tom (Michael Sharrett), and, desperate for a friend, teen neighbour Samantha (Kristy Swanson).
As things unfold, we find out Bebe is moving towards having the brain power of a human. Samantha's dad is a worthless drunk who pulls and pushes her around. One thing leads to another. Bebe gets destroyed, and Samantha ends up in a coma- so what's a geeky smart kid got to do, well, he decides to join the two together…
The tonal/ genre shifts are often quite awkward, as we move from cute robot adventure, child abuse/ domestic drama, and all-out wacky supernatural horror. Each element is done well enough, but blended it makes for a very weird/ unbalancing ride.
With regards to the effects side of things- Bebe is a neat robot, he runs on tracks- covered in a yellow painted metal, with blinking LED eyes/ mouth, and two gripping claws. We get some neat gore set-ups- a woman's head is pulverised, after which the headless body wanders around for a bit. Limbs are bent, and a glass vase is pushed into someone to create a red, spurting fountain.
The acting is largely ok/fine, though from the off, Labyorteaux is somewhat smug/ lightly creepy as our lead. Really Deadly Friend is best taken as an entertaining genre blend for those who enjoy 80s cheese. Not Mr Caven's best work, by a long way- but an engaging watch- with some jaw-dropping/ WTH moments.
This recent Blu-ray features an HD scan of the film- it looks nice, crisp, and clean - with wonderful clarity/ depth throughout the picture. With an even sound balance between dialogue and score.
On the extras side, we have a few things. First up, we have a commentary track with film critics Stacie Ponder and Alexandra West- this is a decidedly chatty/entertaining affair. They start off by calling it a teenage fever dream, and touch on the almost Hitchcock pre-credits. They discuss when they first saw the film and how watching it as a pre-teen was the best time to see it. They touch on how it didn’t do well on release, though it’s now become a cult classic, as there is nothing quite like it. They chat about how Bebe is easily agitated, and touch on the 80s trend for toy robots. We find out that Christy Swanson was sixteen in the film, touching on the rest of her career/ talking about other roles they enjoyed. They discuss the jarring tonal shifts and the terrifying dream sequences in the picture. Later on, they discuss moments of tragedy and suburban moments. They comment on the films shown within the film and the food eaten by characters. Point out moments of reshoots, and more. It’s a good one-play track- though I’m not sure I learned much from it.
Otherwise, on the new side, we have: March of the Pigs (14.09) visual essay by film critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas. The Tragedy of Samantha Pringle (12.04) visual essay by film critic BJ Colangelo.
On the archive side, we have the following: Hey Sam, Nice Shot (9.27) interview with actress Kristy Swanson. Written in Blood (8.12) interview with screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin. Samantha’s Symphony (8.24) interview with composer Charles Bernstein. Robots, Ramsey, and Revenge (5.03) interview with special make-up effects artist Lance Anderson. Imagery gallery, TV spots, and trailer.
The finished release comes with a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Robert Hack. And an Illustrated collectors’ booklet featuring new writing by author and critic Guy Adams.
Deadly Friend is a one-off in Wes Craven's filmography, as well as a distinctive / tonally unbalancing genre picture. This new Arrow Video release takes in a nice HD print and a worthy selection of new/archive extras.