Deadly Friend: That Head Explosion Tho!

Okay, so I finally got around to watching "Deadly Friend" from '86. Definitely a deep cut and, wow, Wes Craven went kinda nuts with this one, huh? The premise itself is pretty awesome - kid builds a robot, robot gets messed up, kid decides to put the robot's brain into his dead neighbor girl... classic. But it's the execution that really makes this one interesting. From a technical standpoint, the robot BB is kinda clunky, but I dig the practical effects for the time. The scene where the robot arm pops out is surprisingly well done, especially considering the budget probably wasn't huge. And let's talk about the head explosion scene. I mean, damn. That basketball scene is iconic for a reason. I remember getting a bootleg VHS of this when I was a kid, and that scene scared the crap out of me. The sound design there is brutal – that wet, squishy thunk is just perfect. It's really the only scene most people remember, I think. Kristy Swanson is pretty good too, especially when she goes all robo-crazy. Her movements are really deliberate and jerky, which adds to the creepiness. Honestly, the pacing is a little uneven, and some of the acting is... questionable. But overall, it's got that classic '80s cheesiness that I can't help but love, and definitely delivers on the gore. Might be worth a watch if you love cheesy special effects and bad horror movies. Oh and I looked it up and the director was indeed Wes Craven, I should've known that when the basketball came out LOL.