Deadly Friend
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Movie Reviews of Deadly Friend
Movie Review: Not bad, but not all that good either.
Summary: 3 Stars
Deadly Friend was a mixed bag, this forgotten Wes Craven film finally gets a dvd release and I was really looking forward to this cheesy 80's b-movie horror flick but to be honest it was slightly disappointing. The storyline seems to combine both Short Circuit and Bride Of Frankenstein into a silly but fun premise, although this isn't one of Craven's best it still manages to keep you interested but the film was more laughable than scary. There is one particular scene that involves a basketball that manages to blow off an old woman's head clean off which has to be seen to be believed, it was definitely worth the price of admission and almost saves this mediocre horror film, it was a brilliant gore scene that had me replaying the scene over and over again!. The story was about a lovestruck teenage genius named Paul who falls for the girl next door (Samantha) played by Kristen Swanson, whom unfortunately has an abusive stepfather. When Sam is killed by her step dad the teen uses the electronic brain that came from his now dead robot friend named BB to bring her back but something really bad happens and the girl is stiff, unemotional and has a nasty tendency to kill people, among those people are her abusive father and the miserable old lady who killed the teens robot, that has got to be the only person in the history of horror movies to have been decapitated by a basketball!. The film also had an awful ending that pretty much doesn't make any sense and was probably made just so they could have a jump scare at the last minute which in my opinion didn't work cause you'll probably end up laughing instead, yes it was that stupid. Wes Craven didn't quite score with this outing, even after the phenomenal success of A Nightmare on Elm Street it was a flop and most critics hated it but I didn't think it was that bad. It was kind of cheesy but I have seen much worse from Craven and the film has it's own merits but it also was a weak effort, the acting was also decent but the film could have been alot better. Swanson comes across as a cute and likeable girl before being brought back and unfortunately has to act like a retarded zombie for the second half of the movie and like I said some scenes were unintentionally hilarious like when ever Sam calls out the name "BB!!" as an evil robot with her weird squidgy voice like E.T. it was pretty funny. The picture quality transfer was passable as it comes across a bit too soft on DVD and does have a few moments where the clarity is pretty fuzzy, the transfer was fine but nothing special and it's widescreen 1.66:1 aspect ratio. There aren't any extras except for a trailer but it's good enough that Warner Bros finally released this obscure horror film on dvd and it's completely uncut. This film is available either by itself or as part of the "Twisted Terror Collection" that includes five other Warner horror titles. Overall I would say that the film was worth checking out and you would probably like this if you enjoy watching cheesy but good 80's horror films.Movie Review: Sexy Friend and An Exploding Head
Summary: 3 Stars
`Deadly Friend' features Kristy Swanson when she was 16.
OK, you're not ordering `Deadly Friend' you're reading this review which means that if the prospect of 16 year old Kristy is not enough to persuade you to buy this film nothing else is going to.
Wes Craven's `Deadly Friend' is almost such a bad idea you wonder how he became involved with it. The plot focuses on a 16 year old Paul a brain surgeon, scientist who builds AI robots in his spare time. Moving to a new town with his single mother, they are instantly the talk of the nationhood as their robot Feebee (Think R2D2 with arms) makes a big splash and shows he/it is capable of violence as it fends off a carjacker and a teen biker gang and Feebee is beginning to disobey Paul. "Paul? What are you doing Paul?"
The girl next door is sexy 16 year old Kristy Swanson. For Halloween she dresses in a toga as a Greek goddess. Romance springs between the two teens, but before Paul can play doctor with her, Kristy is beaten to death by her sexually abusive father.
Here the film turns from sexy to sick as Paul lives out his necrophilia fantasy of bringing Kristy back from the dead with spare parts from Feebee. As with all sci-fi we know that bringing someone back from the dead results in at least two things, 1 they're evil, 2 they're super strong. Hence Kristy begins stalking and killing the nasty neighbors while Paul tries to lock her up in his attic.
As I said I don't know what Wes Craven was going for here. Homicidal zombie Kristy Swanson just isn't sexy. What is Paul hoping to accomplish?
`Deadly Friend' does have its moments reminiscent of small town sci-fi ala `Goonies', `Monster Squad,' exedra. One scene worth the price of admission alone is when Kristy hurls a basketball with super human strength at Anne Ramsey (`Throw Mama From the Train') causing her head to explode like a watermelon and her decapitated corpse to stumble around the room spurting blood. It's a scene like this which could have saved Wes Craven's `Red Eye.'
Movie Review: Bee Bee
Summary: 3 Stars
Deadly Friend is by no means Cravens worst movie. Shocker takes some beating. Cravens attempt at creating another franchisable killer failed spectacularly with Horace Pinker. Deadly Friend has a heart at the very least, but Wes never stood a chance working for Warner Brothers.
I've always been of the opinion that studios should provide the necessary funding and leave the movie making to the movie makers. Not so with Friend, numerous script re-writes were demanded, wannabe producers on set telling an accomplished film maker how to make a horror flick, and Wes staring a $30M lawsuit square in the face. Craven & screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin, virtually disowned the movie, and who could blame them?
Amidst the senseless carnage and the ridiculous death by three-pointer scene, there are some strong performances to be enjoyed, most notably from Kristy Swanson and Matthew Laborteaux. Micheal Sharret provides some classic moments of comic-relief, "you didn't say anything about a dead body, we were supposed to save her life!" Anne Ramsay is simply delicious as the miserable old hag across the street.
Cravens re-take on the Frankenstein tale deserved far more respect, it had masses of potential but Warners constant meddling killed Cravens enthusiasm stone dead.
Movie Review: A Quirky Little Horror Flick
Summary: 3 Stars
This movie cannot be considered a cinema masterpiece by any means. But it is fun and weird and makes for a good Friday night show accompanied perhaps by hot-buttered popcorn and whiskey.
Explaining the plot would be rather pointless because it is so off-the-wall. Things happen. People die. Kristy Swanson becomes a zombie. There is one completely implausible moment followed by another. But the young cast is gung-ho in their commitment to their silly roles and they are pleasant to look at and that is pretty much good enough.
This flick is an excellent time-killer. Lie back on the sofa and nibble your popcorn and imbibe your favorite alcoholic beverage and cackle at the outrageousness of this crazy absurd laughable movie. Why set your standards any higher than that?
Movie Review: Exploded head with a basketball
Summary: 3 Stars
This was a good movie but it did have problems. In this film Paul fell in love with a girl named Samantha. After Sam's dad knocked her down the stairs, Paul put a piece of his Robot in her head and brought her back to life. Sam then killed her father, an old lady, and a bully. And at the end she killed Paul as well.
The two main problems are that Sam had super human strength and at the end of the movie she turned into a robot. How could this happen just because she had a piece of a robot in her brain? It couldn't have. That was ridiculous.
I did enjoy this film. It didn't suck. People did like it when Sam exploded Elvira Parker's head with a basketball. I bought this movie on VHS in 2004. I may buy it on DVD. If you like movies with gore, you may like Deadly Friend.