On June 30, 2004, U.S. forces will pull out of Iraq, signaling the end to one of the most controversial wars of American history. Interestingly enough, fan favorites Blue Underground will be releasing not one, but two war-related horror films the day before: Uncle Sam (review here), a Larry Cohen/Bill Lustig collaboration which concerned a Gulf War casualty back from the grave (and taking out anti-patriots), and Bob Clark’s rare Deathdream, his second film after the sloppy Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things. Lawrence has already provided us with his thoughts on Uncle Sam, so I’m going to throw my hat into the ring with my opinions on Deathdream.

In Vietnam, young Andy Brooks (Richard Backus) watches his friend die from NVA gunfire (in one of the most excruciating scenes I’ve ever heard and watched) before being shot to death himself. Unaware of their family member’s demise, the Brooks family sits down to supper when the doorbell rings, bringing with it a telegram announcing Andy’s death. Shattered by the news, Mrs. Brooks (played with genuine mania by Lynn Carlin) goes into a state of denial, chanting that Andy "cannot die" like a holy mantra. Later that evening, Andy comes home but very different from when he left. He doesn’t eat or sleep, is completely emotionless except for bouts of extreme violence (one of which culminates in the death of the family dog in front of a group of neighborhood kids), and he disappears in the middle of the night with no explanation. When people whom Andy was seen with start turning up dead with needle pricks in their skin, it’s apparent that Andy is not the same boy who left for war...nor is he a man.

Providing both serious commentary on the domestic impact of the war and a zombie-splashed parody of those soldier boys who came back changed for the worse, Deathdream to this day is a rather ambitious film. It features a stunning cast (Backus, Carlin, John Marley, and others) who turn in a wonderful performance. Backus’ Andy is a monotonous lich who occasionally bursts out in manic fits, Carlin’s frantic turn as Andy’s doting mother shows why she’s an Oscar winner, and John Marley’s confusion and anger over the transformation of his son is top-notch acting. Even the maturing of Bob Clark and screenwriter Alan Ormsby from Children... is very apparent. Characters are very well fleshed out, everything is very tightly paced, and the direction is vastly superior to the previous production. Even better, the inclusion of the dysfunctional family unit (something Clark would exploit to more comedic effect in A Christmas Story) adds an extra layer of peculiar discomfort to the film. Toss in some truly unforgettable images (Andy injecting blood directly into his arm like a junkie stands out) and some really great scares, and you have a fantastic film.

Unfortunately, this title is not quite up to the amazing standards BU has set for themselves on the presentation front. While certainly as nice as can be expected, it’s still a big platter of vibrant colors and crisp edges smothered in grain. This is to be expected given the cheap film stock originally used, but for those who demand perfection out of their DVD titles (hell, Blue Underground is responsible for these high expectations of their titles) will be sorely disappointed. While I’m sure it’s the best job they can do under the circumstances, it’s still a sore spot.

Thankfully, they more than made up for this shortcoming with great audio presentation and a slew of extras. Audio is a crisp mono mix (am I the only person who adores BU for giving this option to purists?) with little background noise or distortion. Again, given the nature of the beast, I expected much worse. Extras are phenomenal, including 2 commentaries, one with Bob Clark, the other with Alan Ormsby, the original theatrical trailer (under the alternate title "Dead of Night"), a very comprehensive poster and still gallery (including scans of an entire pressbook!), interviews with Richard Backus and Tom Savini, and alternate opening and ending sequences. Whew!

For those of you who love Seventies horror the way that I do, I damn well expect you to be at your local DVD retailer on the 29th picking up your copy of Deathdream. It demands to be in your collection (as do almost all of BU’s releases). Right now, my copy is sandwiched on the shelf in between Death Bed and The Death Kiss, two favorite films of mine, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.