Attack of the B's!

Deathdream (1974), Bob Clark

A young man (Andy) is sent to Vietnam. After a while of not hearing from him, his family's worst nightmares come true when they are given notice of his death. Then, without explanation, he shows up on their doorstep later on the same night. As the days pass, it becomes more and more evident that there is something seriously wrong with Andy. His father is the first to acknowledge it, while his mother remains in denial about the all too coincidental tragedies that have been occurring since Andy came home. Can they stop Andy before it's too late? I would suggest that you watch and find out.

Bob Clark was a total badass, for a period of about 11 years in the 70s and 80s. This is the man who has brought us Black Christmas, Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things, A Christmas Story, and Porky's 1 and 2! Pretty impressive. Too bad anything he did after Porky's was pretty much the worst thing ever.

Deathdream really makes its low budget work in its favor. The darkness and the cheapness and the wooden acting somehow actually work. Richard Backus is perfect, Andy just gets creepier and more evil as the movie goes on. There are really no "big scares" in this movie, but it's definitely a new take on the zombie genre.

Grade: B+