I know this better as "Deathdream" - also so titled on the DVD cover. It's a creepy take on 'The Monkey's Paw' story, somewhat copied by Stephen King in his later "Pet Semetary." A young man named Andy (Backus)is killed in Vietnam. But his mother (Carlin) can't accept this so next thing we see is someone, a soldier, hitchhiking back to Andy's hometown; he or it looks like Andy, but we sense all is not right as, in strange p.o.v., demonic noises play on the soundtrack. The father (leathery Marley, who looks more like a grandfather) quickly catches on as the mild yet taciturn Andy displays homicidal tendencies. We gradually realize that nothing more than a walking corpse has returned home, with a need for blood to avoid decomposition. Director Clark's follow up to his "Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things" is far more sinister and unsettling, becoming genuinely horrific by the end.
The picture plays on the concept of refusing to let go of the dead. It's something most viewers can relate to. When we lose someone we've known for a long time and the love is so fierce, the thought of going on without the deceased may be unbearable. Most of us get through that early period, painful as it is, but there are the exceptions. The pain here springs from the mother, a feeling that gives way to a kind of madness; Carlin is quite good in the role and is uncomfortable to watch. Marley always brings an edge to his characters and his father figure combines an uneasy mixture of strength and helplessness. This is a low budget feature, of course, and some of the scenes have a crude flow, but the make-up FX are very good. Overall, it's a very eerie exploration of an almost taboo theme, offering no explanations, just hinting at how some thoughts should not be let loose.
The picture plays on the concept of refusing to let go of the dead. It's something most viewers can relate to. When we lose someone we've known for a long time and the love is so fierce, the thought of going on without the deceased may be unbearable. Most of us get through that early period, painful as it is, but there are the exceptions. The pain here springs from the mother, a feeling that gives way to a kind of madness; Carlin is quite good in the role and is uncomfortable to watch. Marley always brings an edge to his characters and his father figure combines an uneasy mixture of strength and helplessness. This is a low budget feature, of course, and some of the scenes have a crude flow, but the make-up FX are very good. Overall, it's a very eerie exploration of an almost taboo theme, offering no explanations, just hinting at how some thoughts should not be let loose.