Review of Deadly Friend (1986) by Becky T — 14 Apr 2008

This movie isn't a great film by any means, but for some reason I just really enjoyed watching it. The movie starts out like a kids movie with a boy moving in with his best friend, a robot named bee Bee.

Yes, you read that correctly, the kid has a walking, somewhat talking robot named Bee Bee that he has created from scratch. The boy is a genius of sorts. You are probably thinking the same thing I was thinking while watching this film, how is this going to become a horror film? Well his robot gets shotgunned up by a crazy old woman that lives across the street, and his other neighbour Samantha, played by a young Kristy Swanson, who he has become more then friends with, also dies by her abusive and creepy as hell father.

The boy decides to kills two birds with one stones, and brings Sam back to life with Bee Bee's computer chip. Unfortunately all doesn't go quite as planned, and the robotic Sam goes out on a revenge spree killing anyone who has done her wrong.

The film is kind of a teenage take on Frankenstein, with a few excellent kills. Watch out for the death by basketball scene and you will know what I'm talking about! I am really curious how the filmmakers would have marketed this? As the first half is a kids movie with a friendly robot, then it becomes a gory horror film, with a pedophile abusive father thrown in for equal measures.

The movie was messed up and at times I was embarrassed to be watching it, but at the same time it brought back memories of 80's cheese, when they could get away with making movies like this, and for that I thoroughly applaud it.