‘Deathdream’ 4K Review: A Waking Nightmare of War
Director Bob Clark had a banner year in 1974, releasing not only the seminal seasonal slasher Black Christmas but also one of the first features to tackle the effects the Vietnam War had on men returning home, Deathdream (aka Dead of Night). Shot in 1972 in the small town of Brooksville, Florida Clark again brought together two important cohorts from his last feature, Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things (1972): writer Alan Ormsby and composer Carl Zittrer.
Deathdream is unsettling and grim, as a young man—who “promised” he would come home—returns from the war… changed. Deathdream speaks to the desperation many parents and loved ones likely endured, hoping against hope their sons would make it out alive. But even if they did, what was the cost? In many cases the person who was drafted or left of their own volition came home fundamentally altered; a distorted version of their loved ones’ fondest memories. Clark delves deeply into the psyche of parents, friends, neighbors, and the walking dead—men who died long ago, far away, as they shuffle through and react to now-foreign domestic lives.
Also Read: Jess’s Choice: How ‘Black Christmas’ (1974) Responsibly Addresses Abortion And Bodily Autonomy
Andy Brooks (Richard Backus) is one of many soldiers in Vietnam doing their part to stay alive. One night Andy is seemingly killed; a fact confirmed by an Army liaison who delivers the crushing news to his parents—Charles (John Marley) and Christine (Lynn Carlin). Charles reacts accordingly but Christine refuses to believe the information. Late that night a truck driver picks up a hitchhiking soldier, one who doesn’t speak, and later still that soldier arrives at the Brooks family home in the dead of night. It’s Andy. His parents and sister, Cathy (Anya Ormsby), are stunned but they don’t question the moment, relishing in the joy their boy has finally come home. When they tell Andy they’d been given the news he was dead, Andy replies “I was”, which they all assume is nothing more than gallows humor.
What follows over the coming week can be described only as ghoulish and unnatural. Charles wanted his son to come home “a man”, and Christine just wanted her boy back period. But the thing that arrived on their doorstep that night is neither. Bob Clark captures the essence of those soldiers who came back different than they left, transmogrified by the horrors of war.
Wisely, Clark doesn’t try to explain how Andy was able to return, though knowing the film was inspired by the infamous W.W. Jacobs short story The Monkey’s Paw offers a minor clue. Andy is withdrawn and nearly catatonic, yet he is also prone to violent outbursts and a level of malevolence alien to his friends and family. Charles is deeply disturbed by what he sees while Christine buries her head in the sand, attempting to remain blissfully unaware. The phrase “careful what you wish for” comes to mind.
Also Read: ‘Black Christmas’ (2006) Takes the Knife Out of Billy’s Hands
Bringing the undead Andy to life was a relative newcomer to the film industry, a special effects artist named Tom Savini, who himself had spent time on the ground in Vietnam. As Andy’s time home progresses so does the breakdown of his body, and he requires fresh blood in order to reconstitute his appearance. Eventually, though, his decay cannot be stalled and the rotting visage Savini created here is disturbing—predating, and in some ways looking superior, to the multiple zombie makeups he created a few years later for George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead (1978). Deathdream does not feature a lot of gore, it isn’t that type of picture. But the few scenes of bloodletting are impactful due to both the nature of Andy’s savagery and the applications by Savini, who was reaching into the old Dick Smith bag of tricks to invoke realism.
For the film’s 50th anniversary, Blue Underground has once again delivered an impressive restoration, offering a new 4K 16-bit scan of the original camera negative. The 1.85:1 2160p picture features Dolby Vision and HDR10 color grading. Keep in mind, this was a low-budget film shot on grainy stock, and this release retains that aesthetic. The 4K offers significant improvement in overall picture density, color reproduction, black levels, and definition. The image is also free from damage, cigarette burns, and emulsion scratches. It’s consistent in its appearance and contrast throughout. I have been hoping this title would get the lavish 4K treatment from BU and the quality here meets or exceeds my expectations in every way.
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The lone audio option is an English DTS-HD MA 1.0 mono track. It has a solid presence, features discernible and clean dialogue, no hissing or pops, and is well-balanced. Carl Zittrer’s score should sound familiar to most horror fans, since he would go on to reuse and expand upon much of it for Black Christmas. I always found the music for that film to be disjointed, frantic, and creepy – which makes it more than suitable for this picture. Subtitles are available in English, French, and Spanish.
4K – DISC ONE: Here, there are three audio commentary tracks – one with co-producer/director Bob Clark; one with writer/make-up artist Alan Ormsby; and one with film historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson.
The film’s theatrical trailer (4K, 3:49) is also included.
Blu-ray DISC TWO: The same audio commentary tracks are also on this disc.
“A Recollection with star Anya Liffey & Alan Ormsby” (HD, 29:29), the formerly married couple sit down together to discuss their beginnings in film, making student shorts, getting together with Bob Clark, and Anya’s role in Deathdream.
“Notes for the Homecoming – Interview with composer Carl Zittrer” (HD, 19:08), the composer talks about his relationship with Bob Clark and his approach to crafting memorable scores, along with a discussion about his choices for instrumentation.
“Flying Down to Brooksville – Interview with production manager John “Bud” Carlos” (HD, 5:21), always nice to hear form the production side of things, with Carlos talking about the location shoot.
“Tom Savini: The Early Years” (SD, 10:00), this piece looks back at the beginnings of one of horror’s most legendary FX artists.
“Deathdreaming – Interview with star Richard Backus” (SD, 11:43), this is an archival interview with Backus covering a bit of his career, how he got the part, filming, and more.
“The First Andy – Interview with actor Gary Swanson” (HD, 12:23), in this new interview Swanson talks about his initial casting, when things changed, how he was approaching the role, and his take on Backus.
“Screen Test with original Andy, Gary Swanson” (HD, 12:31), a look at how Swanson might have fared in the feature film.
“Alan Ormsby Student Film” (SD, 10:12), this early effort is presented unrestored in black & white.
“Alternate Opening Titles” (SD, 3:28), a variation on the credits.
Theatrical trailer (HD, 3:49).
There are also several still galleries for Posters & Ads (11 images), U.S. Pressbook (27 images), Publicity Stills (31 images), Behind-the-Scenes (14 images), Make-Up Effects (50 images), Video (19 images), Alan Ormsby’s Movie Monsters (25 images), and Alan Ormsby’s Creations (27 images).
Special Features:
DISC ONE – 4K BLU-RAY
- EXCLUSIVE NEW 4K 16-BIT RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
- DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
- NEW Audio Commentary #3 with Film Historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson
- Audio Commentary #1 with Co-Producer/Director Bob Clark
- Audio Commentary #2 with Writer/Make-Up Artist (Uncredited) Alan Ormsby
- Theatrical Trailer
- Audio: English (1.0 DTS-HD MA)
- Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
DISC TWO – BLU-RAY
- EXCLUSIVE NEW 4K 16-BIT RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
- NEW The First Andy – Interview with Actor Gary Swanson
- NEW Audio Commentary #3 with Film Historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson
- Audio Commentary #1 with Co-Producer/Director Bob Clark
- Audio Commentary #2 with Writer/Make-Up Artist (Uncredited) Alan Ormsby
- A Recollection With Star Anya Liffey and Writer/Make-Up Artist Alan Ormsby
- Notes For A Homecoming – Interview with Composer Carl Zittrer
- Flying Down To Brooksville – Interview with Production Manager John ‘Bud’ Cardos
- Tom Savini: The Early Years
- Deathdreaming – Interview with Star Richard Backus
- Screen Test with Original Andy, Gary Swanson
- Alan Ormsby Student Film
- Alternate Opening Titles
- Theatrical Trailer
- Still Galleries
- Audio: English (1.0 DTS-HD MA)
- Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
- REGION-FREE
- Limited Edition embossed slipcover and reversible sleeve with alternate artwork (First Pressing Only!)
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Deathdream
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Special Features
Summary
Deathdream is as thought-provoking as it is chilling, and Clark dutifully toes the line between grindhouse ghoulishness and presenting a parable for real-world issues. Blue Underground’s 4K set is a gorgeous package, impressively restored, loaded with excellent bonus content, and it comes highly recommended.
