Deadly Friend

clockworkcanary · January 23, 2007, 10:12:22 AM

This film is not one of Wes Craven's finest, that's for sure. It's basically a mix between Frankenstein and robots run amuk with a little revenge of a nerd. It's a great time capsule for the 80s.

In a nutshell, nerdy boy has a dorky looking robot with advanced AI (for the 80s), which includes saying "bee bee" a lot and crushing the nads of local hoodlums. Hot neighbor moves in, gets beat up by her dad, robot gets destroyed by crazy old lady, hot neighbor dies from abuse, nerd boy implants robot chips in dead girl, she goes on a killing rampage, cops gun her down. Oh and there's a really crude and crazy basketball death.

I plan on reviewing this rolling pile of dung sometime in the near future, so I thought I'd do some preliminary screen shots.

Mr_Vindictive · January 23, 2007, 11:55:18 AM

Man, this film scared the p**s out of me when I was younger. I remember watching it on TV in about '88 or so and I was about 5 years old. The Short Circuit films had shown me that there was nothing to fear when it came to robots, and I was absolutely enthralled with any type of robot film.

Then I caught Deadly Friend.

No idea what I was watching to begin with. Teenager with a robot! Super!

Well...then the neighbor chick dies....then he puts the chip in her...then she begins to murder people.

And I am traumatized for the rest of my life.

I wouldn't mind tracking down the film today being as so much of it is still kicking around in my head. It's too bad it's not out on DVD yet.

And, did you throw in a "Small Wonder" joke???!? Haven't thought about that show in years.

Pilgermann · January 23, 2007, 03:00:00 PM

HOLY CRAP, I think I saw the end of this on TV late at night when I was a kid. The main thing I remember is that I was kind of weirded out by what little I'd seen, and there was a song on the credits that kept doing the "bee bee" thing. That song has haunted me for years. Now I can live in peace.

Bill C. · January 23, 2007, 04:58:56 PM

Wow. I haven't thought of this film in years. And, damn, what was with that ending?

(bee-bee)

Doc Daneeka · January 23, 2007, 05:11:31 PM

Yeah, 'scuse me? Friend o' mine claims copyright on Evil Pac-Man

Torgo · January 23, 2007, 05:38:35 PM

This is the only movie that I've seen to date that features a decapiation-by-thrown-basketball scene in it.

Ed, Ego and Superego · January 23, 2007, 07:08:31 PM

I thought about it recently...If I recall aright the evil robot chick holds her hand sin the vulcan slute position and wears too much blue eye makeup.
-Ed

Shadow · January 23, 2007, 10:47:25 PM

Ah, yes. The original Buffybot.

daveblackeye15 · January 23, 2007, 11:33:40 PM

I think this is a really fun flick. I love the basketball scene. Normally I'm not a fan of a movies with only a few kills but this one was good. The nightmares helped too.

Torgo · January 23, 2007, 11:48:21 PM

What is funny is that Wes' original script didn't have hardly any blood or kill scenes in it like are in the finished movie.

But since Nightmare had hit big, the studio wasn't him to shoe horn in some dream sequences to try to make this "similar" to the 1st Nightmare flick.

BTM · January 24, 2007, 12:47:14 AM

Oh man, I thought the basketball kill was HILIARIOUS. Yeah, it looked fake as hell, but that was part of the fun. I rewond the tape about three times... hehehe.

Torgo · January 24, 2007, 10:56:52 PM

Quote from: BTM on January 24, 2007, 12:47:14 AM

Oh man, I thought the basketball kill was HILIARIOUS. Yeah, it looked fake as hell, but that was part of the fun. I rewond the tape about three times... hehehe.

I've read interviews with Wes Craven in which Wes said the MPAA made him trim that basketball kill scene way back.

He said that she originally ran around like a chicken-with-it's-head-cut-off for about 12 seconds before she falls to the floor.

why isn't this on DVD yet BTW?