When a genius teen fuses AI with tragedy, small-town life gets a monstrous upgrade.
DEADLY FRIEND
There's no one alive who'll play with the girl next door.
Scientific whiz-kid Paul moves to a new town to study artificial intelligence at the local university. One of Paul's high-tech inventions is a growly-voiced robot named BeeBee, and one of his new friends is the lovely girl next door, Samantha. When tragic events take both BeeBee and Samantha from him, the boy genius desperately sets out to restore the love he lost — and, like a modern-day Dr. Frankenstein, discovers too late that he has created a rampaging monster.
Quick Answer
Deadly Friend is a 1986 American horror and science fiction film directed by Wes Craven about a teenage science prodigy who, after losing both his beloved robot and neighbor to tragedy, attempts to bring them back in a way that unleashes unintended consequences.
Programmer's Pick
Wes Craven swaps Elm Street for suburban nightmares, but keeps the mad science and mechanical mayhem dialed up. Kristy Swanson and a basketball-wielding robot give this cyborg horror a deliciously off-kilter pulse. If you've ever wanted your 'boy meets girl' story with a side of circuit boards and explosive consequences, this is your jam.
— SassyFlix Programmer
Overview
Details & Specs
- Director
- Wes Craven
- Writers
- Diana Henstell, Bruce Joel Rubin
- Release
- 1986
- Runtime
- 1h 31m
- Country
- United States of America
- Language
- English
- Genres
- Horror, Science Fiction
- Also Known As
- Amiga Mortal, Obsesión fatal
Why This Matters
Deadly Friend stands out as a Wes Craven film whose original focus on character-driven sci-fi thriller elements was significantly altered after studio-mandated re-shoots, resulting in a final cut that emphasized graphic violence and gore to align with audience expectations and Craven's previous horror work.
Cast & Crew
View all →Why Cult
Witness the collision of adolescent heartbreak and AI ambition as Paul tries to resurrect what he’s lost.
From the director of A Nightmare on Elm Street comes a horror-sci-fi hybrid that’s as weird as it is wild.
BB isn’t your average household bot—he’s protective, unpredictable, and sometimes a little too autonomous.
Abusive parents, shotgun-wielding cranks, and small-town paranoia make Welling a powder keg for this story’s chaos.
Scene Gallery
Threat File
Tragic loss of BB and Samantha
Resurrected being with artificial intelligence
Unpredictable and dangerous behavior in a human form
Suburban neighborhood and university lab
Questions from the Vault
Who directed Deadly Friend? +
Deadly Friend was directed by Wes Craven.
How long is Deadly Friend? +
Deadly Friend has a runtime of 91 minutes.
What genre is Deadly Friend? +
Deadly Friend is a horror and science fiction film.
Where can I watch Deadly Friend? +
Deadly Friend is available to stream on SassyFlix.
How does artificial intelligence intersect with human life in Deadly Friend? +
Paul’s invention BB, a robot capable of autonomous action, becomes central to his attempt to restore a lost loved one, blurring the boundary between human emotion and AI logic.
Trailers & Clips