[DEATHDREAM screens Monday October 21st as part of a "Living Dead" double feature at Negative Space Gallery. Films start at 7:00 pm.]
An appreciation by Bob Ignizio
An appreciation by Bob Ignizio
After the success of CHILDREN
SHOULDN’T PLAY WITH DEAD THINGS, director Bob Clark was offered
the chance to make another horror film by some Canadian investors.
CHILDREN star Alan Ormsby whipped up a screenplay inspired by
a mix of the classic short story “The Monkey's Paw” and the
Vietnam War, and as luck would have it some genuinely good actors
signed on. The result was DEATHDREAM
(aka DEAD OF NIGHT),
a serious but entertaining horror film that still holds up quite well
today, despite its budgetary limitations.
Andy (Richard Backus) is killed in
Vietnam. When his family gets the telegram, however, his mother
refuses to accept the death of her son. Somehow, her belief
that Andy is still alive brings him back. But while Andy’s
physical body appears unscathed when he arrives at his family home
later that night, something inside of him is missing. Andy is
now cold and sadistic, at one point strangling the family dog in
front of a group of children. His internal decay also begins to
manifest itself externally, and the only way to prevent it is to
shoot up with fresh human blood.
