Fiction vs. Fiction: Deadly Friend (1986)

 While we're on the subject of Robots/Androids, why not bring this Series back?

As luck would have it, I found the Book called 'Friend' in a Tampa Thrift Store and then realized that it was turned into Wes Craven's 1986 Thriller.

That one was famously reshot and tweaked via Studio mandate, so let's see how close it ended up to the Book...

***VS***

What's the Same?

The basic Plot and premise is not changed.  We still get the sad tale of a kid who loses his robot and his would-be-girlfriend in short succession.

Desperate, he puts the robot's 'brain' (chip) into the girl and strange things happen!

After that, well, many things change!

What's Different?

For starters, everyone is somewhat aged up.  They feel like barely teenagers in the Book but are obviously older here (The lead guy is 20, while Kristy Swanson was actually 16).

Our Lead- Paul- is nicknamed 'Pig' and usually referred to as such in the Book.  His buddy is nicknamed 'Slime' and called that.

As you can see, our Lead (standing up) is not fat and his buddy is quite normal.

The mean neighbor (Elvira) shoots and 'kills' BB the Robot in the Film.
Later, the abusive boyfriend of his girl friend Sam kills her via stair shove.

In The Book, Elvira's gun is not loaded (the Sheriff took her ammo), but the Dad beats BB 'to death' with it.  He still kills his Daughter in the same way.

In the Film, Sam is just brain dead, so Paul puts the chip in her.
In the Book, she's fully dead.

The Film also sets up that Paul has done brain experiments (at the College).  Foreshadowing.

In the Film, his buddy Not Slime's Dad has the keys to the University, which happens to store Sam's body later.
In the Book, his House is also the Funeral Home and they take the body from there!

In the Film, he can use BB's remote to turn her on and off (when the Plot demands it).
No remote in the Book.

Sam also emotes way more in the Film AND her transformation is less graphic.
In the Book, you see, he has wires running to the chip AND her toes were eaten by rats while kept in the shed.  Gross.

In both versions, Sam/BB kills the Dad and Elvira.  She obviously has less motivation in the Book for the latter.

However, Book Sam/BB drowns Elvira in the tub.
Film Sam/BB famously splats her head with a basketball (thanks to reshoots).

The Film also added some random Biker Bullies to get beat up by BB in the beginning and then be antagonists in the Finale.

In the Book, Sam/BB also kills a Deputy by shoving him down some stairs.  Irony?

Throughout the Book, Paul is haunted by a past mistake.  A lab experiment accidentally led to the death of a kid named Bertram and he keeps seeing him.
Thanks to reshoots, Paul is haunted a single time by the vision of the dead/burned up Dad.  Close enough?

The Finale is WAY different between the two versions.  Again- reshoots likely played a part.
We still haven't seen the original cut, but people keep asking for it.

In the Book, Paul's buddy is killed by Sam/BB.
The Dad comes home later, finds the body and then Sam/BB attacks him, as well as the Mom when comes in.

In the Film, Sam/BB dives through the window (think Bron Breakker's famous spear) to attack Not Slime.  The Mom shows up and she's briefly attacked too.

In the Book, Sam/BB flees down the road.  Paul follows her and she is tossed into the River.  He then realizes that she was trying to take him with her, so he dives into the water and disappears!

In the Film, the Cops show up and shoot Sam/BB, who finally talks in her own voice.  The twist Ending has Paul go back to get her back...again.  

She revives and apparently is now fully BB somehow...because reasons!  She kills Paul.

Final Thoughts

The Film is a more visceral and dramatic version of the Story.  That said, it changes SO MANY THINGS.

Are they bad changes?
Changing Paul from a tortured stereotypical nerd to a sad genius is better.
Splitting up the people behind the deaths was also good.

That said, the changes can also be REALLY silly.  So, unless we ever get to see a drastically different Cut one day, it is a soft recommendation in favor of...

The Book.

Sorry, Film BB.