DEATHDREAM (DVD/1.85 ANAMORPHIC/1974) DVD

Deathdream
This dark, brooding low-budget effort opens in Vietnam, where young infantryman Andy Brooks (Richard Backus) is struck down by a sniper's bullet. At the same time in Andy's hometown, his poor mother is uttering a desperate prayer for Andy to come home... and shortly thereafter, he does. Despite Mrs. Brooks' exultation at her son's safe return, it becomes apparent to the rest of the family that there's something terribly wrong with Andy; he won't do much more than sit in a chair, staring blankly at the walls of his room... that is, until nightfall, when he prowls the town in search of human blood, which he extracts from his victims through a syringe and injects into his own veins. The first horror effort from director Bob Clark, who followed with Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things! and the effective thriller Black Christmas, this haunting film (released as The Veteran in 1972) functions as a Vietnam-era variant on the classic story of "The Monkey's Paw" and was one of the first films of the genre to address the stateside reactions to the horrors of that war. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Cast n/a

Crew Dyke Davis - Costume Designer Bob Clark - Director Ronald Sinclair - Editor Geoffrey Nethercott - Executive Producer Carl Zittrer - Composer (Music Score) Bob Clark - Makeup Tom Savini - Makeup Special Effects John Cardos - Production Manager John Trent - Producer Peter James - Producer Bob Clark - Producer Albert Fisher - Set Designer Gary Goch - Sound/Sound Designer Alan Ormsby - Screenwriter

Deathdream
Bob Clark's first collaboration with screenwriter Alan Ormsby is this grisly, psychologically trenchant low-budget horror film. Released in 1972 Deathdream has the distinction of being one of the first American films to deal, in its own effective way, with the trauma caused by the conflict in Vietnam. Deathdream is crude and schlocky, like a lot of great 1970s horror films. Clark knew as well as any of the great horror directors of that era how to wring the most from his meager resources, and he's helped in that regard by makeup artist Tom Savini, who made his feature debut with this creepy film. The cast is also strong, including John Marley (The Godfather) and Lynn Carlin (who had starred together in John Cassavettes' Faces) as the distraught parents of Vietnam casualty Andy (Richard Backus), who's returned home as a blood-drinking ghoul. For his part, Backus may at first come off a bit too cartoonishly creepy, but there's an underlying sadness to his role that lends the movie real emotional weight. The film doesn't purport to be a definitive statement about Vietnam. There are few details about Andy's combat experience, but there is an overriding sense that this war is not like any other that's come before. Like the best genre films, Deathdream offers an interesting glimpse of the American psyche during the time it was made. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
 

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General Specifications: Language Options: Subtitle Options: Sound Processing: DD1: Dolby Digital Mono Additional Features: Audio commentary with co-producer/director Bob Clark Audio commentary with screenwriter/makeup 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 DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1: Theatre Wide-Screen MPAA Rating: R DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: All Content Length: 88 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 1. Program Start/Bombs Away [2:01] 2. Main Titles [1:21] 3. Sad News at Dinner [4:09] 4. Calling to Andy [4:22] 5. Andy's Return [6:14] 6. The Truck Driver [2:00] 7. Ben's Visit [4:02] 8. Family Feud [4:25] 9. Dog Murder [3:34] 10. Doc's Visit [10:56] 11. Pursuing Doc [6:28] 12. "I Came for My Check-Up" [5:41] 13. Telling Joanne [1:23] 14. Discovering Doc [4:57] 15. Picking Up Andy [3:02] 16. Visiting the Police [3:12] 17. The Realization [3:53] 18. At the Drive-In [3:52] 19. Death at Last [4:42] 20. End Credits [6:47]