Dead of Night

Bob Clark was such a fantastic and visionary filmmaker during the early 70's and directed no less than three very important and hugely influential horror movies in a row. Unfortunately, he reverted to making lame & mainstream comedies during the 80's and 90's and - even more unfortunate of course - was his untimely death earlier this year 2007 as a result of a car accident. But back then he definitely was the man, because he was single-handedly responsible for one genre-defining slasher ("Black Christmas"), one playful yet creepy zombie classic ("Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things") and then this one: a unique and genuinely intriguing horror-sleeper. "Deathdream" is primarily an unsettling shocker, but it definitely also qualifies as a subtly powerful anti-war protest and even as a depressing middle-class family drama. Right from the excruciatingly sober opening credits, showing the frozen image of a soldier dying in agony after taking a bullet in the chest, you immediately realize this won't become just another outrageous splatter flick with zombie-soldiers and gratuitous massacres. Rightly so, because the story then cuts to the dinner table of a seemingly random American family who are very busy making plans for when their son Andy returns home from Vietnam, and you literally sense tragic news is about to knock them down. Andy is indeed reported killed in action shortly after, and the drama affects both the parents differently. Especially the mother refuses to accept her beloved son's departure and stays up entire nights, praying & wishing for Andy to come home. And then suddenly he DOES come home … but not as his family and friends remember him. Andy doesn't talk or eat, he spends the whole day in a rocking-chair whilst staring in the distance and his body rapidly starts decomposing if not regularly supplied with fresh doses of human blood!

Andy Brooks isn't just a pitiable character in a 70's horror gem. No, he presumably represents every young soldier who reluctantly enlisted to serve in Vietnam, only because their fathers and the small-town communities they lived in expected them to. Rather than to feast on the blood of innocent bystanders, Andy returns to raise feelings of guilt and anguish among his former friends and particularly his dad. "Deathdream" clearly features some harsh social undertones, and they're magnificently supported by the realistic characters (and, respectively, the terrific acting performances). The relationships between Andy's mother, Andy's father and Andy himself are perhaps the best achievement of the entire film. The pacing is quite slow, but it works efficiently, and the overall ambiance of "Deathdream" is very creepy. The images of Andy in his rocking-chair (complete with screeching sound) and his grimaces when chocking the family dog in front of several young children are unforgettable. Considering the main themes and, undeniably, the budgets Bob Clark disposed of, you shouldn't expect a lot of gore, but still there are some nasty and convincingly unsettling make-up effects to enjoy. If they weren't interested just yet, all horror fans will unquestionably want to see the film because it marked Tom Savini's debut as a SFX-guru. In my humble personal opinion the ending could have been a bit better and less abrupt, but that's just a small detail. This film ranks high amongst the best genre achievements of the 1970's and it's fundamental viewing for all fans.

A young soldier called Andy is shot and killed in action, not mentioned by name but presumably in Vietnam. His family are notified of his death but then he appears at their house, only his personality has been drained and he has a murderous craving for human blood. He has become some kind of vampire/zombie hybrid, he has no fangs and sunlight doesn't burn him up, however he physically deteriorates over time and towards the end he turns into a monster. Quite how this all came about is not explained, other than his mother wishing him to come home. This was my first viewing and despite an initial doubt I was very impressed, the movie is genuinely unsettling and frightening. Director Bob Clark also made the classic "Black Christmas", both released in 1974, and the two movies use the same creepy music. Tom Savini did the special effects, which are pretty gruesome. And I will point out that this was made several years before George Romero's modern vampire movie "Martin" (1977). Highly Recommended.

I saw this movie on Chiller Theater sometime in the late 70's, and

it stuck with me for a long while. I never knew the title, however,

until I re-discovered it a few years ago. My memories of seeing it as a young kid mostly focused on the

weirdness of the film itself. Richard Backus does an amazingly

creepy performance as "Andy," a soldier in Vietnam who returns

home after being supposedly killed in action. His mom, overjoyed

to see him, refuses to believe anything is wrong, while his sister

and father begin to suspect all is not quite right given his behavior,

pale, vampiric appearance and the many strange incidents which

begin to occur around him. Mom continues to stay in denial until

the very end. The scene with the double date in the drive-in particularly stuck

with me after all those years. Honestly scared the bejezus out of

me as a kid! But re-watching as an adult, I saw the movie more for what it was

meant to be, a social commentary about the Vietnam war. It still

holds up very well today. I am glad to know it has been re-released on DVD with additions,

though I haven't seen this yet. For years it was difficult to even find

a video copy. Plus it was released under several different names. I

think I originally saw it as "The Night Andy Came Home." Definitely recommended.

This is a horror film that expands the boundaries of the genre.

Put simply, it is a film about a dead man walking, but this dead man "died" in Vietnam before he returned home and his unexpected arrival opens many wounds within his family and amongst old flames and acquaintances.

Director Bob Clark is not satisfied depicting returned vet "Andy" as a zombie. Although he does crave human flesh and speaks infrequently, part of the film's charm is the reaction of people to the dead man's less-than-chipper mood.

Shots of Andy rocking like an autistic child are priceless, as is a "conversation" Andy has with the mailman who laments the returned boys "we should have lost". The family pet is not exactly Andy's best friend anymore, either.

John Marley as Charles Brooks, Andy's dad, is really great here. Although he tries hard to accept the new Andy, we really experience his gradual realization and disappointment that Andy is not the same Andy anymore.

Jim Backus is brilliant as the undead vet. He uses his voice to convey Andy's apparent indifference to life back home and adopts a strange, somnambulistic gait.

Technically adequate for a low budgeter, the film's richness of character and situation never shifts our attention to any production deficits.

One of the best horror films ever.

Truly creepy and, ultimately, very sad.

So many horror films, both then and now, exist solely to provide cheap titillation to gore hounds and casual thrill-seekers. 'Dead of Night' (aka "Deathdream"), however, is serious business, and seriously scary. Comparable to 'The Exorcist' in its exploration of the parent-child dynamic when the child is given over to something sinister, I personally liked this more than I liked 'The Exorcist.' It's leaner, more suspenseful, and less pretentious.

Richard Backus is Andy, a soldier who returns from the war (presumably Vietnam) the very night his parents and sister are informed of his death in combat. The homecoming is not a happy one, however. Andy just isn't quite himself. Laconic, humorless and irritable, he doesn't want to go out and isn't interested in seeing visitors. Worse, there could be a link between him and the gruesome murder of a truck driver that occurred the night of his return.

Like 'The Exorcist,' 'Dead of Night' - a reworking of "The Monkey's Paw" -- aspires to be more than simply a horror film. It aspires to be a Vietnam allegory, and it aspires to be a family drama. Remarkably, it succeeds as all three. It makes a compelling statement about returning soldiers, is a truly frightening horror film, and also a harrowing family drama. John Marley, as a Andy's father, conveys torment and confusion effectively, and Lynn Carlin is especially good as Andy's mother, a woman who has disappeared completely inside of her denial. The suspense is unbearable, and there's skillful use of both sound and space in creating it. The chills are never cheap and are consistently hair-raising. The movie marches headlong into its inevitable conclusion and is utterly uncompromising throughout. That it was rated PG at the time is a shocker.

The movie has some flaws and lacks visual polish, but this is almost irrelevant given how brilliantly everything works. The director is Bob Clark, who would go on to direct the first two 'Porky's' films, 'A Christmas Story,' and 'Baby Geniuses,' and he has made a rare horror film, one that is intelligent, thoughtful, and damn scary.