Deathdream [DVD] [1974]

Deathdream, Bob Clark's chilling, hard-to-find classic is finally available on DVD, thanks to a Grade-A treatment from the genre specialists, Blue Underground. The film itself has been fully restored from a long-lost negative from the original Dead of Night release and transferred into an anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen image, complete with a respectable Dolby Digital Mono soundtrack. Extras include two commentaries -- one from Clark and the other from screenwriter Alan Ormsby, who also doubled as an uncredited makeup artist on the film. Both tracks are assisted by Blue Underground's own David Gregory and each are engaging and entertaining in their own right. Clark does come off a bit dry at times, but his comments on this and many of his earlier horror films make for a worthwhile listen (along with his teases of genre films to come), while Ormsby seems to have a fun time looking back at this early feature. The writer also figures into the ""Tom Savini: The Early Years"" featurette, where the famed makeup man talks of his tutelage under Ormsby on both this, his first film, and Deranged, along with his first collaboration with George Romero, Martin. Star Richard Backus appears in an interview segment, where he discusses working with John Marley (fresh off of his Oscar win for The Godfather) and other aspects of the production, including a brilliant closing moment that fans of the film will flip for. Other extras include an ""Alternate Opening Titles"" segment (under the Deathdream re-release title) and ""Extended Ending Sequence"" cut from an MPI Media video source, along with the theatrical trailer and a truly definitive poster and stills gallery, featuring posters, pressbooks, video art, and more. With a terrifying foil cover and way-creepy menu design, this disc adds yet another gem to Blue Underground's stable of excellent releases.
: Program Type:Movie
: Screen Format:Enhanced Widescreen for 16x9 TV
: Studio:Blue Underground
: Region Code:0
: Sound Features:monaural
: Aspect Ratio:1.85:1
: Format:DVD
: Product Name:Deathdream [DVD] [1974]
: Product Tags:DVD
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
Name : Arthur Anderson: Role : Postman
Name : Robert Cannon: Role : Drunk
Name : John Marley: Role : Charles Brooks
Name : Lynn Carlin: Role : Christine Brooks
Name : Richard Backus: Role : Andy Brooks
Name : Henderson Forsythe: Role : Dr. Philip Allman
Name : Anya Ormsby: Role : Cathy Brooks
Name : Jane Daly: Role : Joanne
Name : Bud Hoey: Role : Ed
Name : Raymond Michel: Role : Policeman
Name : Bob Clark: Role : Director
Name : Bob Clark:[!Program Type:Movie!] [!Screen Format:Enhanced Widescreen for 16x9 TV!] [!Studio:Blue Underground!] [!Region Code:0!] [!Sound Features:monaural!] [!Aspect Ratio:1.85:1!] [!Product Name:Deathdream [DVD] [1974!]] [!Product Tags:DVD!] [!Arthur Anderson:Postman!] [!Robert Cannon:Drunk!] [!John Marley:Charles Brooks!] [!Lynn Carlin:Christine Brooks!] [!Richard Backus:Andy Brooks!] [!Henderson Forsythe:Dr. Philip Allman!] [!Anya Ormsby:Cathy Brooks!] [!Jane Daly:Joanne!] [!Bud Hoey:Ed!] [!Raymond Michel:Policeman!] [!Bob Clark:Director!] [!Bob Clark:Producer!] [!John Trent:Producer!] [!Peter James:Producer!] [!Alan Ormsby:Screenwriter!] [!Jack McGowan:Cinematographer!] [!Ronald Sinclair:Editor!] [!Geoffrey Nethercott:Executive Producer!] [!Albert Fisher:Set Designer!] [!Gary Goch:Sound/Sound Designer!]