Deadly Friend (1986)

User Rating:

4.9/10   

Director:

Wes Craven

Writers:

Diana Henstell (novel)
Bruce Joel Rubin (screenplay)

Release Date:

10 October 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Horror | Romance | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Some people are just better off dead

Plot:

Paul is a new kid in town with a robot named "BB". He befriends Samantha and the three of them have a lot of good times together...

Plot Keywords:

Robot | Father | Abusive Father | Halloween | Neighbor

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Matthew Laborteaux	...	Paul Conway
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 M.D.	...	Doctor in Sam's room
Joel Hile	...	Deputy
Tom Spratley	...	Neighbor
Jim Ishida	...	Coroner
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nancy E. Barr	...	Robot (uncredited)

Directed by
Wes Craven

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Diana Henstell		novel "Friend"
Bruce Joel Rubin		screenplay

Produced by
Robert Crawford Jr.	....	co-producer (as Robert L. Crawford)
Patrick Kelley	....	executive producer
Robert M. Sherman	....	producer

Original Music by
Charles Bernstein

Cinematography by
Philip H. Lathrop

Film Editing by
Michael Eliot

Production Design by
John Loggia
Daniel A. Lomino

Makeup Department
Lance Anderson	....	additional special makeup effects
Michael Hancock	....	makeup artist

Art Department
Roy Barnes	....	set designer
John Sweeney	....	assistant propmaster

Special Effects by
Peter Albiez	....	special effects foreman

Stunts
Tony Cecere	....	stunts
Doc D. Charbonneau	....	stunts
Leslie Hoffman	....	stunt double: Anne Ramsey
Terry Leonard	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Howard A. Anderson	....	key grip (as Howard Anderson)
Doug J. Campbell	....	dolly grip (as Doug Campbell)

Transportation Department
Robert Neilson	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Marianne Maddalena	....	assistant: Mr. Craven
Dan Perri	....	title designer
Karen Shaw	....	production coordinator
B.J. Smith	....	set medic (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures (presents)
• Pan Arts
• Layton

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1986) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Films (1987) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (19??) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Fazer Musiikki Oy/Fazer Video (1988) (Finland) (VHS)
• Warner Bros. Entertainment Finland Oy (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (1987) (West Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1987) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Pacific Title  opticals

Also Known As:

A Maldição de Samantha (Brazil) [pt]
Amiga mortal (Spain) [es]
Der tödliche Freund (West Germany) [de]
Dovevi essere morta (Italy) [it]
Kauhu asuu naapurissa (Finland) [fi]
L'amie mortelle (France) [fr]
O Amigo Mortal (Portugal) [pt]
Obsesión fatal (Argentina) [es]
Przyjazn na smierc i zycie (Poland) [pl]
Skräcket som granne (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Thanasimos filos (Greece) [el]

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Germany:16 (re-rating) (2007) (uncut version) | West Germany:16 (original rating) (cut) | West Germany:18 (original rating) (uncut) | Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-16 (heavily cut) (1988) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (2007) (self applied) | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1987) | France:-12 | Norway:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Quotes:

Sam: He's my father. Sometimes I want to roll a truck over his face but he's still my father.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Directors: The Films of Wes Craven (#1.4)" (1999)

An artificial Kristy Swanson!? Where can I get on of those???

Okay, one of my fellow reviewers here on this site described this film in one marvelous – rather sarcastic – sentence. In fact, it's so well stated that I'm going to steal it for my own review. The premise of Deadly Friend, ladies and gentlemen: `Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy creates lethal cyber-Barbie...'. Deadly Friend introduces Paul, an ultra-intelligent adolescent who build a robot that thinks and handles completely for itself. The robot – B.B – is the purest, most advanced piece of technology ever yet it talks with a peppy, blurry voice. Along with his mother, Paul moves to a new town where he continues his Pointdexter studies and falls in love with his sweet neighbor girl (the yummy Kristy Swanson). The girl is terrorized and eventually killed by her monstrous father, a crazy old woman blows B.B to pieces and Paul snaps. He steals her corpse from the hospital and implants her with B.B's artificial brain. Right from the start, this goes wrong as Kristy avenges her death (and how!). Although the undertone of Deadly Friend is downright comic, there are quite a lot gruesome moments and bloody sequences. The plot is highly unoriginal (actually, some sort of lame Frankenstein-variant), the characters are far from believable and the entire production is perfect to claim Wes Craven is an overrated director. Below average, silly film but with – it has to be said – one of the coolest killings ever! The basketball-decapitation alone is worth at least one viewing of this film.