Deadly Friend

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+