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Deadly Friend: Collector’s Edition Blu-ray Review

“Deadly Friend” is one ridiculous movie.

Based on the novel “Friend” by Diana Henstell, “Deadly Friend” is a 1986 sci-fi horror movie that begins with a mother (Jeannie), her wiz kid son (Paul) and Paul’s sometimes violent robot BB moving into a new home. You see, Paul has a scholarship at Polytech and is poised to have a bright future. In terms of Paul’s personal life, things look good for the youngster as he makes a new friend (Tom) and begins to develop feelings for his next door neighbor (Samantha). Unfortunately, everything blows up in Tom’s face. BB is destroyed by a gun toting neighbor and Samantha is left brain dead after her drunk, abusive father pushes her down the stairs. Distraught, Paul vows to save Samantha by giving her BB’s computer brain. The robotic Samantha does not act normal, however, as she begins to kill. 

There’s a reason you don’t hear about this Wes Craven movie much- it’s a flat-out absurd sci-fi horror flick. The Bruce Joel Rubin script feels like a combination of what was hot around that time ala “The Terminator” and “Weird Science” with a touch of “Bride Of Frankenstein.” Add in a coming-of-age movie element, themes about loss, playing god and technology and some usual Wes Craven horror touches ala the death scenes and nightmares and you get the picture. And let’s not forget the robot BB who doesn’t sound like any robot you’ve ever heard. He sounds more like a Gremlin or some sort of creature (and an extremely irritating one at that). 

Conceptually, there’s obviously a lot going on here but it’s neither scary nor interesting. It’s a silly mixture of genres. It’s also hard to believe Paul is a genius when the character is such an idiot for much of the movie. He even drugs his mom at one point!

In terms of the cast, the most memorable performance here is clearly Kristy Swanson as Samantha (and the robot brain Samantha). She gets to have the most fun acting wise. Despite the way the character is written, Matthew Laborteaux makes a good lead as Paul. 

Video/audio:

Presentation: 1.85:1 1080p. How does it look? The new 2K scan from the interpositive is a bit on the fuzzy side, but it’s a solid upgrade.

Audio Track: 2.0 DTS-HD MA Mono. How does it sound? This is a nice clean Mono track.

Extras:
* 4 trailers and 5 TV spots for “Deadly Friend”
* 4 new separate interviews with Kristy Swanson, writer Bruce Joel Rubin, effects artist Lance Anderson and composer Charles Bernstein.

October 23, 2021 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Deadly Friend Blu-ray Review, Deadly Friend: Collector's Edition Blu-ray Review, Horror Movie, Kristy Swanson, Robot Movie, Sci-Fi Horror Movie, Wes Craven