azathothpwiggins
DEATHDREAM is another great horror film from director Bob Clark (CHILDREN SHOULDN'T PLAY WITH DEAD THINGS, BLACK CHRISTMAS), who proves to have a real knack for the unsettling and the uncanny. Killed in action in Vietnam, Andy Brooks (Richard Backus) returns home "alive". Is it a miracle, or something else? Andy's parents are, at first, overjoyed, only to slowly realize that whoever or whatever has returned to them is not the one who left. This Andy seems capable of... anything. Clark blends several elements together, including an anti-war theme, mixed w/ the dark fatalism of THE MONKEY'S PAW. Plainly put, this movie is scary as hell! Clark is not afraid to take these characters, or their audience, into the terror of the unknown. Bleak, disturbing, and ultimately heartbreaking, this is NOT just a run of the mill zombie film. Co-stars John Marley as Andy's shattered, suspicious father, and Jane Daly (CHILDREN SHOULDN'T PLAY WITH DEAD THINGS) as Andy's extremely unfortunate girlfriend, Joanne...
roderick2003
Tuned in to this on late-night TV, but did not see the title. Did not know what the name of the movie was. It was mesmerizing, a very good take on Viet-nam vets returning home. The scene with Andy on the double date with dark glasses and black gloves was especially disturbing. Finally found a VHS copy ("Death Dream") many years later at a Goodwill, ha ha, very surprising! Also, I wonder if this was somehow related to John Cassevetes, with John Marley and Lynn Carlin in it, and with somewhat similar style-- long real-time scenes at times. Still don't know: Just a thought. Very good low-budget horror movie!
utgard14
A couple receives word that their son has been killed in Vietnam. The mother refuses to accept this and stays up all night wishing over and over that her son return home. Which he does, but not like she hoped. He's very weird and says next to nothing. Soon there are murders happening in their small town with people drained of blood.Cool low-budget horror movie from Bob Clark. It's a variation on the Monkey's Paw story -- "Be careful what you wish for." The cast is pretty good, particularly the actors playing the parents, John Marley and Lynn Carlin. Richard Backus plays the son and was apparently cast for his creepy stare, which he uses to great effect throughout the film. Chilling at times with a great atmosphere throughout, thanks in large part to the budgetary limitations. Low-budget '70s horror films are some of the grittiest and creepiest ever made. The first half is much better than the second, which is why my score isn't higher. After awhile the strangeness gives way to a more traditional vampire type story. I'm not sure if we can even call this a vampire movie but it has the primary element -- undead person who craves blood from the living. Tom Savini handled the special effects in one of his earliest films. It's an interesting and worthwhile horror film you should check out.
Shadow-Guide
After reading other reviews that compared elements of the film to John Carpenter's 'Halloween' and the mention that the film had deeper connotations regarding Vietnam veterans returning home from the war, my curiosity got the better of me.From the very beginning of the film it is abundantly clear that the production is very low budget and the film looks dated. The war scene looks like it has been filmed in the local woods and there are glaring inaccuracies to their uniforms. However, what the film does well is to create a very creepy atmosphere from the moment he is shot and you hear Andy's mother reminding him of his promise to return home.The acting is often wooden and sometimes quite strange which actually adds to the film's creepiness. The sound and camera work is lacking at times but occasionally it excels with a number of unconventional shots that are surprisingly effective. There is also some interesting use of sound used to convey Andy's confused and primal state that reminded me of 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre' (1974). I felt the film started to drag a little in the middle but picks up again as it draws to a close. There are some memorable scenes with Andy that appear to be metaphors for PTSD in war veterans. It also touches on other issues such as alienation, depression and the Oedipus complex. The violence itself is not particularly gory or emphasized by today's standards and the film tends to focus rather on Andy's disposition and the effect it has on his family.The film's conclusion is disturbing and unsettling. It left me feeling depressed but with a greater understanding of the loss experienced by victims of the war and their families. I was initially concerned that the film might reinforce prejudice towards war veterans that struggle to readjust to civilian life but the anti-war sentiment is so strong that I think the film is worthy of merit even if it makes for difficult viewing.
AD
