Deadly Friend's theme of AI gone wrong makes this a good time to reappraise Wes Craven's quirky 1986 sci-fi horror.

On the face of it, Deadly Friend, here receiving a feature-packed HD release from Arrow Video, shares DNA with other mid-1980s films like Gremlins, Weird Science and Short Circuit. The film's harder edge, however, featuring teenage death, alcoholism and abuse, along with some ultra-gore, drags it into the orbit of Re-Animator (1985). In all, Deadly Friend's mix of teenage friendship and gratuitous, torturous death scenes makes for an uneven thrill ride.

When a scholarship brings science prodigy Paul Conway (Matthew Laborteaux), his mother Jeannie (Anne Twomey), and his homemade robot BB to the town of Welling, he quickly makes friends. But as he gets closer to paperboy Tom Toomey (Michael Sharrett) and neighbour Samantha Pringle (Swanson), BB displays increasingly erratic and protective behaviour. This reaches a tragic height when a Halloween prank results in reclusive neighbour Elvira Parker (Anne Ramsey) shooting the robot to bits.

Things look up for Paul when romance blossoms with Sam, only to be cruelly cut off when her alcoholic and abusive father pushes her downstairs, killing her. With the aid of Tommy, Paul hatches a plan to use BB's chip-brain to bring the brain-dead Sam back to life, but how can he be sure who's in control of her body?

Deadly Friend is a clear update of the Frankenstein story, with a boy genius dragged into taking desperate measures because he can rather than because he should. There's a direct precedent under that mad scientist label—Hammer's Frankenstein Created Woman (1967) played with soul-to-brain transfers and the resulting carnage—but Deadly Friend's awkward production resulted in a film that doesn't quite know what it wants to do with its killer AI in a human body shtick.

Two years earlier, director Wes Craven had great success with the subconscious nightmare fuel of A Nightmare on Elm Street. Deadly Friend was initially intended to be a darker, more serious thriller until the studio intervened during post-production. Demands for a more conventional horror led to plotlines being replaced by blood and gore, and a film that blends teen pranks and bullies with notably grisly set pieces. One scare in particular recalls the antics of Freddy Krueger's extended franchise.

The blood-splattering goes some way to convey the idea of the scientist grappling with the consequences of his actions, but it's no surprise that fans are still calling for the release of Craven's original cut. The tonal inconsistency leads to some unsavoury moments, like Paul drugging his mother and Sam's sadistic revenge on her father, but between the horror setpieces, the young cast doesn't have much to grapple with. It's a shame to see Laborteaux's not-too-irritating teen genius dragged to increasingly desperate measures, but his Dr Frankenstein drive barely hits second gear. Sharrett's Tommy never rises above a weak foil, and Swanson, six years before she was the original vampire-slaying Buffy, ends up playing two underdeveloped characters.

Paul's bound-to-fail scheme descends into a by-the-numbers denouement that could fit nicely into a classic Universal horror film if the guns were traded for pitchforks. It's a shame there isn't more of BB (continually mumbling with the voice of Charles Fleischer, AKA Roger Rabbit), who quietly occupies the space between mogwai and R2D2, despite a darker edge. It's clear from the opening scene that the trouble BB gets itself into won't be all that innocent.

Another highlight is Charles Bernstein's score, a feat of '80s synth that complements Craven's world-building, just as the composer managed with 1984's A Nightmare on Elm Street.

While Craven's original thriller, with more suspense and fewer effects, would be an intriguing watch, there's plenty to pore over in Deadly Friend's curious mishmash. Combine the robot and score with some ludicrously over-the-top horror effects, and it's a slice of ‘80s horror that should be on any fan's watchlist, even if it means they won't throw a basketball in quite the same way again.

Limited Edition Blu-ray Special Features

High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
Original lossless mono audio
Optional English subtitles
Brand new audio commentary by film critics Stacie Ponder and Alexandra West
Hey Sam, Nice Shot, an archival interview with actress Kristy Swanson
Written in Blood, an archival interview with screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin
Samantha's Symphony, an archival interview with composer Charles Bernstein
Robots, Ramsey, and Revenge, an archival interview with special make-up effects artist Lance Anderson
The Tragedy of Samantha Pringle, a brand new visual essay by film critic BJ Colangelo
March of the Pigs, a brand new visual essay by film critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
Trailers and TV spots
Image gallery
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Robert Hack
Illustrated collectors' booklet featuring new writing by author and critic Guy Adams