Deathdream

Bob Clark

Blue Underground/Stomp Visual

R4 DVD

The Seventies is seen by many as the great decade of horror films, one of the film-makers of that period who left his mark was Bob Clark. While he was later known for his rather “family values classic” A Christmas Story, during the Seventies he released onto the public three powerful horror classics Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things, Dead of Night and Black Christmas. The least appreciated of all three is Dead of Night, made in 1974. It has been released under a wide range of titles including The Night Andy Came Home, Nightwalk, Whispers and in its more recent release via Blue Underground Deathdream.

One may conjecture that its lack of popularity comes from the fact that while it is a violent and graphic horror film, it has a strong anti war flavor which borders on the polemic. Witten by Alan Ormsby and featuring some of the earliest horror makeup effects artist by Tom Savini, Deathdream is quite an intense experience. The film focuses on the great fear that a mother has when her son goes to war and the terrible horror she experiences when he returns changed forever. Even though she has relieved notice that he has died, he still comes home. Was it a clerical error or has something occurred she cannot comprehend. The story unfolds as little horrors suggest something is very wrong and we begin to get a sense of the true nature of his return from Vietnam.

He's not like he used to be, he seems distant, reclusive and he doesn't anything except than sit out vacant eyed in the back yard all day or incessantly creak away in his bedroom rocking chair. At night however, when he leaves the house and ventures into the darkness, he reveals himself as being something slightly less-than-human and perhaps one of the undead. From there things can only get worse…

This combination of Vietnam anti-war message and horror is a strange mix, at times it is badly paced, at others the gore and violent are all too visceral. This is a quirky but powerful film which offers a lot more than simply being a zombie soldier story. It is amazing to note that some 30 years later its message is still clear and resounding!

Special Features Include:
Audio Commentary with Director Bob Clark & Screenwriter / Make-up Artist (Uncredited) Alan Ormsby
Tom Savini: The Early Years
Deathdreaming – Interview with Star Richard Backus
Alternate Opening Titles
Extended Ending Sequence
Theatrical Trailer
Poster & Still Galleries