Deadly Friend
Release date: 1986-10-10
Votes: 249
Genres: Horror, Science Fiction
When tragedy strikes his remarkable robot and the beautiful girl next door, lonely teenage genius Paul tries to save them by pushing technology beyond its known limits into a terrifying new realm.
Reviews
Wuchak
**_Underwhelming Craven film that meshes sci-fi, teenage romance and horror_** A boy genius specializing in brain research and robotics (Matthew Laborteaux) moves to the town of Welling with his mother (Anne Twomey) where he starts an apprenticeship at the university. He befriends a paper boy and romances an abused neighbor girl (Michael Sharrett and Kristy Swanson respectively). When tragedy strikes, he uses his talents to rectify the situation with horrifying results. "Deadly Friend" (1986) was Wes Craven’s next theatrical project after the success of “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984). It was meant to be a sci-fi thriller focusing on a dark teenage love story, but the trailer omitted BB the robot and advertised the movie as another Wes Craven horror flick. The film bombed at the box office. You might remember Laborteaux as Albert, the adopted Ingalls boy on Little House on the Prairie. Meanwhile Winsome Kristy was only 16 during shooting. These two and BB the cute robot give the film a likable innocent quality. In tone, it’s a cross between “Short Circuit” (1986) and “Silver Bullet” (1985) just with elements of the Frankenstein story thrown in. Speaking of which, this is a modern-day coming-of-age take on Frankenstein and zombie tales exploring the idea of a dead person being resurrected by unnatural means with unpleasant results. It raises questions concerning when physical death actually occurs. Interesting ideas, of course, but the execution is so-so and yet kind of agreeable, a puzzling mix. Craven is a hit-or-miss director IMHO. For instance, “Summer of Fear” (1978) is effective, but “The Serpent and the Rainbow” (1988) is mind-bogglingly bad. This one falls somewhere in between, but closer to the good. The film runs 1 hour, 31 minutes, and was shot in the Los Angeles area as follows: Burbank Studios (Paul Conway's house), USC (university exteriors & lecture hall interiors) and Monrovia, which is just northeast of L.A. (Samantha on the loose). GRADE: B-/C+
Movie Recommendation
Intruder1989-01-27The overnight stock crew of a local supermarket find themselves being stalked and slashed by a mysterious maniac.More...
Angel1984-04-19Molly Stewart, a teen at the top of her class who survives by working nights as a prostitute on Hollywood Blvd, finds her world beginning to fall apart when a depraved, necrophiliac serial killer begins targeting LA’s streetwalkers.More...
Of Unknown Origin1983-11-23A man who recently completed rebuilding a townhouse becomes obsessed with a rat infestation until it becomes an interspecies duel.More...
Minutes to Midnight2018-07-03On the cusp of New Year's Eve, seven friends and a mysterious backpacker converge at a desolate ski lodge in the mountains when they are systematically hunted down by ruthless masked men with a cryptic agenda.More...
Scream1981-01-08A group of people on a rafting excursion happen upon a deserted town and decide to set up camp. Out of the blue, a murder occurs.More...
Don't Mess with My Sister!1985-10-21Steven, a meek accountant-in-training, is living contentedly with his wife Clara and working for her brothers, managing the books at their junkyard. All of this changes when the belly dancer they hire for Steve's birthday turns out to be Anke, one of his classmates. Suddenly smitten, Steven begins to pursue Anke, who falls for him when he protects her from an overly lecherous customer. News travels fast in a close-knit neighborhood, however, and soon Clara and her brothers find out about the illicit relationship. Pushed to the edge, Steven will have to decide between his marriage with Clara and his love for Anke.More...
Savage Vengeance1993-10-27A woman is brutally raped by four men, and she plans to seek vengeance. After five years, she hasn't gotten over it yet, and she and her friend are again raped by four men. This time, she tracks them down and finally has her revenge.More...
Chiller1985-05-22A wealthy industrialist arranges for his body to be kept on ice in a high-tech cryonic chamber. When the instructions are not followed properly, he emerges from the frozen crypt as an empty, soulless creature with an appetite for destruction.More...
Snow White2001-10-28Snow White's mother dies during childbirth, leaving baby Snow and father John for dead on an icy field, who then receives a visit from one of Satan's representatives, granting him three wishes.More...
Shocker1989-03-23About to be electrocuted for a catalog of heinous crimes, the unrepentant Horace Pinker transforms into a terrifying energy source. Only young athlete Jonathan Parker, with an uncanny connection to him through bizarre dreams, can fight the powerful demon.More...
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes1984-03-30A shipping disaster in the 19th Century has stranded a man and woman in the wilds of Africa. The lady is pregnant, and gives birth to a son in their tree house. Soon after, a family of apes stumble across the house and in the ensuing panic, both parents are killed. A female ape takes the tiny boy as a replacement for her own dead infant, and raises him as her son. Twenty years later, Captain Phillippe D'Arnot discovers the man who thinks he is an ape. Evidence in the tree house leads him to believe that he is the direct descendant of the Earl of Greystoke, and thus takes it upon himself to return the man to civilization.More...
Butchers2020-10-15A family of sadistic butchers lives deep inside the backcountry. From the dead of winter to the dog days of summer, anyone who crosses their path is dead meat.More...
Vita & Virginia2019-05-02Socialite Vita Sackville-West and literary icon Virginia Woolf run in different circles in 1920s London. Despite the odds, the two forge an unconventional affair, set against the backdrop of their own strikingly contemporary marriages.More...
Lizzie2018-09-14Massachusetts, 1892. An unmarried woman of 32 and a social outcast, Lizzie lives a claustrophobic life under her father's cold and domineering control. When Bridget Sullivan, a young maid, comes to work for the family, Lizzie finds a sympathetic, kindred spirit, and a secret intimacy soon blossoms into a wicked plan.More...
Night of the Creeps1986-08-21In 1959, an alien experiment crashes to earth and infects a fraternity member. They freeze the body, but in the modern day, two geeks pledging a fraternity accidentally thaw the corpse, which proceeds to infect the campus with parasites that transform their hosts into killer zombies.More...
Rape Zombie: Lust of the Dead2012-07-13After a nuclear attack in Tokyo, the female population is attacked by infected males who have become sex-crazed zombies, hungry for human flesh. Officeworker Momoko and nurse Nozomi seek shelter in a Shinto Shrine, where they meet housewife Kanae and school girl Tamae. With no choices left to them, the group of girls decides to take a stand and arm themselves with assault rifles and explosives to fight off hordes of horny zombies. What is the secret to killing the zombies for good?More...
Sleepaway Camp1983-11-18After a terrible boating accident, Angela Baker is sent to Camp Arawak, where a series of bizarre and violent "accidents" begin to claim the lives of various campers.More...
In the Realm of the Senses1976-09-15A passionate telling of the story of Sada Abe, a woman whose affair with her master led to an obsessive and ultimately destructive sexual relationship.More...
Dragged Across Concrete2019-02-21Two policemen, one an old-timer, the other his volatile younger partner, find themselves suspended when a video of their strong-arm tactics becomes the media's cause du jour. Low on cash and with no other options, these two embittered soldiers descend into the criminal underworld to gain their just due, but instead find far more than they wanted awaiting them in the shadows.More...
Assassination Nation2018-09-21After an anonymous hacker begins leaking the private data of thousands living in a small American town, the townspeople spiral into madness, with four high school seniors at the center of the maelstrom.More...
Similar Movies
Settlers
2021-07-23Remmy and her parents, refugees from Earth, have found peace on the Martian outskirts until strangers appear in the hills beyond their farm. Told as a triptych, the film follows Remmy as she struggles to survive in an uneasy landscape.Bill & Ted's Bogus Jo...
1991-07-19Amiable slackers Bill and Ted are once again roped into a fantastical adventure when De Nomolos, a villain from the future, sends evil robot duplicates of the two lads to terminate and replace them. The robot doubles actually succeed in killing Bill and Ted, but the two are determined to escape the afterlife, challenging the Grim Reaper to a series of games in order to return to the land of the living.The Transformers: The...
1986-08-08The Autobots must stop a colossal planet-consuming robot who goes after the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. At the same time, they must defend themselves against an all-out attack from the Decepticons.Transformers
2007-06-27Young teenager Sam Witwicky becomes involved in the ancient struggle between two extraterrestrial factions of transforming robots – the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons. Sam holds the clue to unimaginable power and the Decepticons will stop at nothing to retrieve it.Rise: Blood Hunter
2007-04-28A reporter on the trail of a sinister cult wakes up in a morgue to find herself a member of the undead. She goes on a personal vendetta for a group a cultists that are responsible for her death.The Ritual
2017-10-11A group of college friends reunite for a trip to the forest, but encounter a menacing presence in the woods that's stalking them.Star Raiders: The Adv...
2017-05-08Saber Raine is hired to guide three elite soldiers on a rescue mission to recover a prince and princess who have been abducted from their home world. The trail leads Saber and his allies to a planet deep within uncharted space that is inhabited by strange mutated creatures.Haunted: The Ferryman...
1974-12-12A horror novelist and his wife go to a house in the country for a short vacation. However, they soon find that one of his novels is coming true when they are haunted by the ghost of a drowned ferryman.Friday the 13th
1980-05-09Camp counselors are stalked and murdered by an unknown assailant while trying to reopen a summer camp that was the site of a child's drowning.A Boy and His Dog
1975-03-23Set in the year 2024 in post-apocalyptic America, 18-year old Vic and his telepathic dog, Blood, are scavengers in the desolate wilderness ravaged by World War IV, where survivors must battle for food and shelter in the desert-like wasteland. Vic and Blood eke out a meager existence, foraging for food and fighting gangs of cutthroats.The Artifice Girl
2023-04-27A team of special agents discovers a revolutionary new computer program to bait and trap online predators. After teaming up with the program's troubled developer, they soon find that the AI is rapidly advancing beyond its original purpose.Arc
2021-06-25Set in the near future, Rina lives a wandering life and she meets Ema. Ema becomes a mentor for Rina and Rina begins to work for Ema. Her job is called body works, which is to plasticize dead bodies for people who lost loved ones. Meanwhile, Ema’s younger brother Amane develops technology that is finally able to achieve immortality. Rina becomes the first recipient of the technology. She can now live forever, while having a 30-year-old appearance, but ...Lembayung
2024-09-19Arum and Pica, who wanted to complete their internship at Lembayung hospital, had to face mysterious terror from a woman satan who was suspected of hanged herself in the bathroom. The situation became even more tense after they asked others for help to the point where they threatened their own lives and those closest to them.Black Christmas
2006-12-15As the residents of sorority house Pi Kappa Sigma prepare for the festive season, a stranger begins a series of obscene phone calls with dubious intentions...Ju-on: The Grudge 2
2003-08-15When the cast and crew of a paranormal TV reality program decide to shoot in the house of the original Saeki hauntings, a series of strange events unfold at the location.Children of Men
2006-09-22In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of humankind.The Wicker Man
2006-08-31A sheriff investigating the disappearance of a young girl from a small island discovers there's a larger mystery to solve among the island's secretive, neo-pagan community.Friday the 13th Part ...
1981-05-01Five years after the horrible bloodbath at Camp Crystal Lake, new counselors roam the area, not sensing the ominous lurking presence that proves that the grisly legend is real.Friday the 13th Part ...
1982-08-13An idyllic summer turns into a nightmare of unspeakable terror for yet another group of naïve friends. Ignoring Camp Crystal Lake's bloody legacy, one by one they fall victim to the maniacal Jason, who stalks them at every turn...Friday the 13th: The ...
1984-04-13After his revival in a hospital morgue, Jason fixes his vengeful attention on the Jarvis family and a group of hitherto carefree teenagers.