Review of Deadly Friend (1986) by Rodney E — 17 Mar 2013
Deadly Friend is Wes Craven's attempt at Bride of Frankenstein. While he didn't come up with the material on his own (it was adapted from a novel), it certainly bares resemblance to Wes Craven's ilk of storytelling.
It reminded more of something like Frankenhooker, only in plot, but it's pretty mediocre for Craven. It's not all bad though. It's actually a rather charming little pseudo-love story that never really has a major pay off other than hints rather than actions.
The cast is pretty good, although I thought Matthew Laborteaux could be a bit boring at times and underplaying his part. Kristy Swanson, of course, is great and beautiful as always. The film is also pretty cheesy and not too terribly hard to figure out, especially when it comes to the evil characters, which are completely over the top (including a shotgun-toting neighbor played by Anne Ramsey).
The film mixes cynicism with sweetness plus horror and gore thrown into the mix. It's not perfect, but it's a sweet movie, all things considered. It's much more interesting than it seems on paper anyway.
This review of Deadly Friend (1986) was written by Rodney E on 17 Mar 2013.
Deadly Friend has generally received mixed reviews.
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