Deadly Friend (1986)

After his friend is killed by her abusive father, the new kid in town attempts to save her by implanting robotic microchips into her brain.

Director:

Wes Craven

Writers:

Diana Henstell (novel), Bruce Joel Rubin (screenplay)

Stars:

Matthew Labyorteaux, Kristy Swanson, Michael Sharrett

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matthew Labyorteaux	...	Paul Conway (as Matthew Laborteaux)
Kristy Swanson	...	Samantha Pringle
Michael Sharrett	...	Tom 'Slime' Toomey
Anne Twomey	...	Jeannie Conway
Anne Ramsey	...	Elvira Parker
Richard Marcus	...	Harry Pringle
Russ Marin	...	Dr. Johanson
Lee Paul	...	Sergeant Volchek
Andrew Roperto	...	Carl
Charles Fleischer	...	BB (voice)
Robin Nuyen	...	Thief
Frank Cavestani	...	Angry Resident
Merritt Olsen	...	CAT Scan Technician
William H. Faeth	...	Doctor in Sam's Room (as William H. Faeth M.D.)
Joel Hile	...	Deputy

Storyline

Paul Conway and his mother Jeannie Conway travel to a new town where Paul will join the local university invited by Dr. Johanson. They bring the robot BB that was developed by Paul, who is a genius in robotics. Paul befriends the paperboy, Tom Toomey, and has a crush on his next door neighbor, Samantha Pringle, whose abusive alcoholic father Harry Pringle frequently hurts her. One day, Paul, Sam, Tom and BB are playing basketball and the ball falls in the field of their paranoid grumpy neighbor Elvira Parker who won't give it back to the teenagers. On Halloween, Tom convinces Paul to let BB open the padlock of the entrance to Elvira's house. However, there is an alarm system and Elvira blows up BB with her shotgun. Then Harry pushes his daughter down the stairs, and the doctors leave her brain-dead connected to life support. However, Paul convinces Tom to go to the hospital to rescue Sam, and then he implants BB's chip into her brain, resurrecting Samantha. But will she come back to ...

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Plot Keywords:

robot | basketball | 1980s | abusive father | morgue | 

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Taglines:

She can't live without you.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Much like 'Deadly Friend', another movie written by Bruce Joel Rubin, Jacob's Ladder (1990), had similar problems with script and negative test screenings. Rubin's original script for 'Jacob's Ladder' was re-written prior to filming, and around 20 minutes of horror scenes were deleted from the original cut of the movie because preview audience thought that they were too disturbing.

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Goofs

When Paul tells his mom he is picking up the broken glass, you see his hands are holding the glass. In the next shot, his hands are not holding the glass.

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Quotes

Neighbor: Old man Pringle and Mrs. Parker, both dead. His face was burned off.
Paul Conway: Elvira Parker?
Neighbor: Yeah, I heard somebody say she called the police. Said she saw Sam in her bedroom window. From what I hear, Elvira's head's all over the walls in there.

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Alternate Versions

Several seconds of gruesome footage, including the entire "basketball death", were removed when the film was first released in Ontario, Canada.

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Connections

References Frankenstein (1931)

User Reviews

Surprisingly good silly horror film

A super intelligent teenage whiz revives the love of his life with a chip that used to belong to his robot pal BB. But things don't go all that smoothly as his creation proves to have homicidal tendencies.

Is the film weird? You bet. Is it silly? Yeah, kind of. Is it hokey? Definitely. Is it entertaining? Surprisingly Yes.

The film is probably as close as you can get to family oriented graphic horror. The characters are not only well acted but extremely likable and that takes the film a long way. Matthew L something brings warmth and charm to his role and his relationship with his mom is cute and wholly believable. Kristy Swanson is pure delight as his "girl next door love" and her robotic moves are surprisingly well executed. Like in A Nightmare on Elm Street, Wes Craven is able to create characters who you actually give a damn about and that's what makes this silly premise actually work.

The film is pretty funny at times and the graphic horror is sure to delight gore hounds. The basketball scene alone is outstanding. For the most part Deadly Friend is more actual fun than suspenseful, although it does have a few well timed shocks.

All in all; A nice effort from Craven. Pretty inventive and overcomes it's weaknesses by being just a plain old fun flick.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 October 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Friend

Filming Locations:

Midwest Street, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,804,429, 13 October 1986

Gross USA:

$8,988,731

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$8,988,731

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Pan Arts, Layton

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1