"Deathdream" Also Known As: "Dead of Night" (1972) "Night Andy Came Home, The" (1972) "Night Walk" (1972) "Veteran, The" (1972) Distributed by: Entertainment International Pictures Produced by: Impact Films / Quadrant Films
Cinematography by Jack McGowan . Music by Carl Zittrer. Costume Design by Dyke Davis. Written by Alan Ormsby. Make-up Effects by Tom Savini & Alan Ormsby. Edited by Ronald Sinclair. Executive Producers: Gerald Flint-Shipman, Geoffrey Nethercott Produced by Bob Clark, John Trent, Peter James. Directed by Bob Clark John Marley, Richard Backus, Lynn Carlin, Henderson Forsyth, Anya Ormsby, Jane Daly, Michael Mazes
Review by R.L.Strong )1997 R.L. Strong Bob Clark's "DEATHDREAM" is without a doubt one of the Seventies most important and effective horror films. Taking it's basic premise from the classic tale of "The Monkey's Paw", the film combines vampirism with not only the political climate of the Seventies and the war in Vietnam, but also the youth movement. After years (decades?) of visceral horror being the basic means by which terror is explored, "Deathdream" manages to do the impossible in a horror film. It creates a mood and an atmosphere of dread that is palpable. Just watching any scene from the first 50 minutes of the film, will give any viewer a sense of unease that they will be unlikely to shake off immediately. "Deathdream" deals in a disenfranchised Americana, where family values are being questioned and faithfully held beliefs in family and honor are laid to rest.
The plot of the film is pretty straight forward. Andy is a lieutenant in the U.S. Army serving in Vietnam. He and his Captain are killed in a firefight. As Andy dies, he hears the pleas of his Mother, telling him not to die, that he must come home. We immediately switch to a small Midwestern town, Anywhere USA. A truck driver picks up a soldier. He stops off at a dinner, getting coffee and mentioning how strange the Soldier is. "He hasn't said a word". He tells the waitress. At the Brooks' home, the family is awakened in the middle of the night by the arrival of the local enlistment office. He tells the family that their son, Andy has been killed in the line of duty. The family is distraught. Andy's Mother refuses to accept the idea that her only son is not coming home. Later that night, the family is awakened again by the sound of someone breaking into the house. Rushing downstairs, Mr. Brooks is startled by his son, Andy, standing behind the front door in full military uniform.
Celebrations start immediately. Andy's Mother is overjoyed. Plans are made to tell all of Andy's friends. Andy says not to. He just wants time to rest. His Father asks Andy if the situation in the War was bad. Andy replies.. "Over where, Dad?" The next morning, news reports come in telling of the murder of a truck driver. His throat is slashed, but he also has hypodermic punctures in his arm. Andy isolates himself in his room. He refuses to see any of his friends, or let his family acknowledge that he is back. The tension between the family members grows as Andy becomes more mysterious and threatening. As the Brooks family begins to abandon their faiths and love for one another, Andy becomes more treacherous, murdering the family Doctor, using his blood (in one of the films most disturbing scenes) as a FIX.
The performances are adequate for the most part. The standouts are John Marley, one of the industries most underrated character actors as the Father of the besieged Brooks family. His character becomes more and more ineffectual as the film progresses, finally giving in to complete depression. This performance alone makes the film worth viewing. Richard Backus as ANDY gives a chilling interpretation of the walking dead. His character is pure evil. This is a soulless and totally uncalculating creature. Andy's soul purpose now is to inflict terror and pain on all those around him. But mostly on his own family. Mr. Backus creates a feeling of dread and fear that I haven't seen on screen until Anthony Hopkins started asking for more wine Director Bob Clark has created one of the most intelligent and emotional horror films ever made. The film pays more tribute to the style of Val Lewton than it does to the gore-miesters of it's decade. This is not to say that the film does not contain scenes of visceral horror. The murder of the town Doctor (played by Henderson Forsyth) is both frightening and revolting. But Mr. Clark does not wallow in these scenes, he uses them as a release from the tension that the film has been building too. "Deathdream" in my mind should be included with the other classics of the genre ("Exorcist", "Night of the Living Dead", "The Haunting") as a classic. The script by Alan Orsmby ('Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things', 'My, Bodyguard') is marvelously structured. The dialogue is honest and doesn't give into the standard type of one-liner mentality so prevalent in horror films today. The cinematography by Jack McGowan is wonderful in it's simplicity, recalling the best work of such good cinematographers (but poor Directors) as T. V. Mikels and Ray Dennis Steckler.
This is not a film for children! The movie deals with issues that are too adult and emotional for youngsters to grasp. Also, the violence in the film is not romanticized. This is not "SCREAM" or any other film of that type, that tries to compromise it's horror with a leveling spoonful of comedy. It's not a cult film (though it could be if it had the exposure it deserves). It is without a doubt, one of the 10 best horror films of the seventies. And I would go on to say, of all time!
-- _________________________________________________ |"It's not enought to tell us what a man did. | |You've have to tell us who he was.." Citizen Kane| |_________________________________________________|
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