An example of how lack of focus can ruin a movie even if it’s build on a solid foundation, Wes Craven’s Deadly Friend shows a lot of promise from the beginning.

We’re introduced to a brainiac who’s just moved in the suburbs with his home build robot, and soon goes on to befriend with another teen boy on the block and to fall in love with the girl next door. Given the overall tone so far my expectation was an action adventure with some sort of thriller twist. What follows instead is sort of a horror scifi with numerous hit and miss design choices that don’t always seem to mix well.

The nightmare sequences that are presented throughout the movie particularly feel very glued on and the whole path the leads to the reanimation is implausible and far fetched. The abusive father bit does give a motive for the eventual revenge, but otherwise it also seems like yet another unnecessary plot twist. Given all this, I’m surprised to say the movie isn’t a complete stinker; it makes for an easy watch and is one of those time capsule movies that’ll definitely take you back to the era.

Still, I would’ve been happier with a more solid, straight forward story instead of the hodgepodge presented here.

80s-o-meter: 87%

Total: 71%