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Deadly Friend
Directed by
Wes Craven
R
1986
1h 31m
Horror
,
Drama
,
and more
5.6
20%
38%
Add to Watchlist
After his friend is killed by her abusive father, the new kid in town attempts to save her by implanting a robotic microchip into her brain.
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Where to Watch Deadly Friend
Amazon Video
Rent $3.99
Buy $9.99
Apple TV
Rent $3.99
Buy $9.99
Fandango At Home
Rent $3.99
Buy $9.99
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Cast of Deadly Friend
Matthew Labyorteaux
Paul
Kristy Swanson
Samantha
Michael Sharrett
Tom
Anne Twomey
Jeannie
Anne Ramsey
Elvira
Richard Marcus
Harry
Russ Marin
Dr. Johanson
Lee Paul
Sgt. Volchek
Andrew Roperto
Carl
Charles Fleischer
BB (voice)
Robin Nuyen
Thief
Frank Cavestani
Angry resident
Merritt Olsen
CAT scan technician
William H. Faeth
Dr. in Sam's room
Joel Hile
Deputy
Tom Spratley
Neighbor
Jim Ishida
Coroner
Wes Craven
Director
Diana Henstell
Writer
Bruce Joel Rubin
Writer
Robert M. Sherman
Producer
Deadly Friend Ratings & Reviews
Jacob O’Neal
June 9, 2025
This movie underwent a lot of studio interference and it’s pretty obvious. The concept was something that the 80’s loved - a cute robot with a personality, a la Short Circuit, Rocky III and so many more. But this movie mixes the robot sub-genre with what felt like an episode of Goosebumps or Are You Afraid Of The Dark with the F word and some extra blood mixed in. Deadly Friend stars Kristy Swanson in her first starring role as Sam, the hot girl next door to super genius, Bob (or something else. Half movie it sounded like Bob), a boy with a robot named BB (voiced by Roger Rabbit star Charles Fleisher). BB may have a bit of killer instinct. When BB is destroyed and Sam accidentally killed, Bob(?) places BB’s AI into Sam’s brain and brings her back. But she’s no longer just Sam. This movie is terrible in all the right ways. Swanson walking around stiffly and pretending to be a robot for the last third of the film with her fingers in a position to look as if she has claws was hilarious. The acting was pretty bad all the way through. There are plenty of unintentional laughs. This is not a good movie by any means. Wes Craven tried to make something away from horror and then the studio made him change things to be more of a Craven film. This could have been amazing. It was the same writer as Ghost and Jacob’s Ladder (Bruce Joel Rubin) and directed by Wes Craven. Sadly, it just didn’t work…the way they wanted. But it worked for all the wrong reasons. It’s pure cheesy fun that should not be taken seriously. It’s just fun schlock.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Eleanor Ringel Cater
Deadly Friend is a droll inversion of the typical teen slice-and-dice formula.
Baltimore Sun
Stephen Hunter
Craven took a grave premise and turned it into a tapestry of provocative deep-brain imagery: Deadly Friend is all surface.
Hartford Courant
Malcolm Johnson
Disappointing teen horror film.
Boston Globe
Robert Garrett
More cute than creepy. Despite a nice B-movie premise, the film quickly goes limp.
New York Daily News
Alan Mirabella
It's boring, unsuspenseful and predictable.
Newsday
Bill Kaufman
It's strictly kid stuff, but, at times, suspenseful kid stuff.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Marylynn Uricchio
A deadly bore.
Philadelphia Inquirer
Desmond Ryan
A rather shrewd fantasy for teenage boys about taking absolute control of a girl's body.
Miami Herald
Bill Cosford
The direction by Wes Craven is as clunky as the undead heroine, and the film is dull despite its gore, no mean feat.
Chicago Tribune
Dave Kehr
This lunatic plot is rendered in a flat, bland, absolutely deadpan style, that suggests a particularly impoverished sitcom from the '50s.
Los Angeles Times
Patrick Goldstein
There are plenty of shocks, and even a tinge of sadness, in this nifty little thriller, but not enough razor-edge electricity.
We Got This Covered
Jacob Dressler
If you're in the mood to see a lighthearted movie about childhood and becoming an adult, it's got you covered. And if you want a gory slasher film with plenty of dark humor, it has you covered there as well.
AV Club
Nick Schager
To satisfy horror fans, the filmmaker embellishes his tale with jolt-scare dream sequences and plentiful bloodshed, as well as an unforgettable over-the-top murder scene involving a basketball and a human head.
Dread Central
Anthony Arrigo
Craven's original vision was totally compromised and while I don't think it would've worked at least it would have been the film Wes wanted to make. What WB wound up releasing is mediocre at best though, usually, it's just plain bad.
Film Frenzy
Matt Brunson
Wes Craven spent the majority of his career churning out subpar horror flicks, although the mediocrity that is Deadly Friend can't really be blamed on him or scripter Bruce Joel Rubin.
Fat Guys at the Movies
Kevin Carr
This one's fun even though it's this insane train wreck of a dumpster fire that's fascinating to behold.
Reel Film Reviews
David Nusair
...a watchable yet entirely unmemorable drama...
Variety
Variety Staff
Pic has enough gore, suspense and requisite number of shocks to keep most hearts pounding through to the closing credits.
New York Times
Caryn James
Stylish and sardonic enough to offer horror fans some knowing laughs and a pleasant relief from shrieking.
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