Director's Cut Petition Online! - Deadly Friend (1986) Discussion

[–] Nick7080 10 years ago

Hey guys,

So I started a online petition for Shout! Factory to release Wes Craven's original cut of the movie in a Special Edition with the theatrical cut.
Let's see if we can make this happen!

http://www.change.org/petitions/shout-scream-factory-release-deadly-fr iend-director-s-cut-on-blu-ray-dvd-2

Awesome man! Great work! Nice to see fans like yourself helping out their favourite movies to be re-discovered.

From what i heard recently while talking with my colleagues, original cut of Deadly Friend was something like always talked about but never released William Peter Blatty's director's cut of The Exorcist 3, meaning that what was once COMPLETELY different and probably much better movie was butchered by studio and turned into average commercial product.

I said this before but i'll say it again; Everybody who are fans of this movie or wanna see original director's cut released in special edition, sign petition that igorleoni here made and send your emails to Shout! and Scream Factory. More emails and things like petitions could always bring some attention on this movie.

If original cut can't be restored to great (Bluray) quality, it would still be great if rough cut/workprint could be included in special edition, or at least some version used for test screenings and such. Deleted and alternate scenes could be included as special feature. Anything, just as longest fans get something!

Btw, if you can you should post links for your petition on IMDb (main) page of Deadly Friend and on sites like Facebook, Twitter ect. It might take some time but we can't spread the word by sitting with thumbs in our asses.

Also if you still thinking about sending an email to Wes Craven asking him about the movie, make sure to tell him about your petition and fan base for Deadly Friend.

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[–] igorleoni22 10 years ago

Thank you Nick. I've been posting this anywhere I can but we still only have two signatures, lol.
If you can pass it on between other fans you know, I'd appreciate :)

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[–] 10 years ago

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[–] igorleoni22 10 years ago

Artwork I did for the Shout Collector's Edition/Director's Cut cover

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-09UHNrmL5FE/U1QAvSFIhKI/AAAAAAAAACg /HBT4OJMhQ24/w398-h500-no/cover.jpg

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[–] 10 years ago

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[–] igorleoni22 10 years ago

Hey guys, I have some news,

I decided to email the petition to the folks at Joblo.com/Arrow in the Head, since they have such a wide range between horror fans.
John Fallon wrote me back saying he's a huge fan of the movie and would push the petition on their Twitter.
A few hours later he wrote me back with a DIRECT TWEET RESPONSE FROM SCREAM FACTORY:

Scream Factory™
@Scream_Factory

@arrowinthehead @wescraven Unless Warner agrees to sub-license this to us (or puts it out themselves) we won't be able to put this out. :(

So, it's really up to Warner Bros. since they still hold all the legal rights to all the 'Deadly Friend' footage.
I doubt Warner will put any money or effort to restore footage they buried back in 1986. So we have to show Warner and Shout! there's enough fan base/interest in seeing the Original Cut of the movie released, then maybe Warner and Shout! can negociate a deal and the whole thing can be sub-licensed to Shout!/Scream, who would be willing to invest time and money in something Warner probably won't.

So what do you guys think so far? Are we getting somewhere?

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[–] Nick7080 10 years ago

I think we should keep trying and not give up. If your petition does gets 100 signatures, it could interest Shout! and Warner Bros.

It might take some time, but if petition gets average one signature a day, in about three months it should be finished.

From what i read here on IMDb, there is over 500 likes for this movie on Facebook. I guess all the people who liked it still haven't heard about petition? :)

Btw, i like your artwork for Bluray special edition release. I wonder what artwork would Shout Factory do for it though.

Speaking of special edition, i recently talked with buddy of mine about deleted scenes and original cut of Deadly Friend. One thing that we talked about is how long original cut could be. I know 10 deleted scenes (listed in my other board) so if each of them was let's say around 1 minute long plus some other deleted scenes and minus the opening and ending scenes which were added during re-shoots, it would mean that original cut was definitely over 100 minutes long, but that's just aproximate original running time so don't take my word for it.

It would be helpful if Craven or some actors ever did/do a interview about the movie and said something about original cut, like what scenes were deleted or how long was it, but of course, we're not that lucky.

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[–] igorleoni22 10 years ago

I think we should keep trying and not give up. If your petition does gets 100 signatures, it could interest Shout! and Warner Bros.

It might take some time, but if petition gets average one signature a day, in about three months it should be finished.

So far we have 22 signatures. The petition is online for what now, 2 weeks? I think we're going well and we might get to 100 eventually. The sad thing is I think we need a lot more if we want to impress Shout! and Warner.
There's a petition for the release of Halloween VI Producer's Cut. They already got 820 signatures and they're still on it.
Yeah, it's not easy. They need to see it's really worth it.

From what i read here on IMDb, there is over 500 likes for this movie on Facebook. I guess all the people who liked it still haven't heard about petition? :)

Lol, I thought about that, but the only way I can get them to acknowledge our petition is to send them the link one by one. That's impossible lol. There's no Deadly Friend fan page on Facebook that I can share the link. But I'm doing what I can. I shared the link on several FB fan pages: Wes Craven, Matthew Laborteaux, Kristy Swanson, Fangoria...we'll see how it goes.

Btw, i like your artwork for Bluray special edition release. I wonder what artwork would Shout Factory do for it though.

Thanks :)
And I think it might be pretty similar, since Shout! usually uses the original artwork for their covers. Hopefully we'll get to see it someday :)

Speaking of special edition, i recently talked with buddy of mine about deleted scenes and original cut of Deadly Friend. One thing that we talked about is how long original cut could be. I know 10 deleted scenes (listed in my other board) so if each of them was let's say around 1 minute long plus some other deleted scenes and minus the opening and ending scenes which were added during re-shoots, it would mean that original cut was definitely over 100 minutes long, but that's just aproximate original running time so don't take my word for it.

That's the thing. It'd be good to know if the Director's Cut consists only of removing the re-shots (Opening and ending scene, nightmare scenes, basketball scene, etc) and of adding the deleted scenes, OR if at certain point it becomes a whole different movie with scenes we don't even know about.
I was able to get the email of Bruce Joel Rubin's representatives. I'll write an email explaining about our petition and asking about the Director's Cut. Hopefully it will be forwarded to him and he'll have time to write me an answer. We'll see. Still on the works to get Wes Craven's representatives contact info.

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[–] Nick7080 10 years ago

I was able to get the email of Bruce Joel Rubin's representatives. I'll write an email explaining about our petition and asking about the Director's Cut. Hopefully it will be forwarded to him and he'll have time to write me an answer. We'll see. Still on the works to get Wes Craven's representatives contact info.

That's good to hear. It would be great if Craven and/or Rubin would respond and share some (still unknown) info about original cut, deleted scenes ect...

I know that they were fkd over by Warner Bros. and WB boss Mark Tappin and that they disowned the movie, but come on, why not share few words with fans about the movie and their problems with studio inteference and how different was their original story/ cut of the movie. It would also be great to hear their opinions about petition and all efforts of fans to get original DC cut released.

I read somewhere that Kristy Swanson (Samantha) is still proud of the movie and that she didn't disowned it like some other people who were working on it.

Btw, i updated my other board about deleted scenes. I added a link for fan-made Youtube video with pictures of deleted scenes and links for petitions.

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[–] igorleoni22 10 years ago

Hey guys,

Sad news. I was able to contact Cliff MacMillan from Scream Factory about Deadly Friend. Here's what I wrote:

Hello Cliff,

A friend of mine here in the forum said you're with Scream Factory. Sorry, I'm sure you get A LOT of messages like this.

Me and a couple of friends started a petition for the release of 'Deadly Friend' Director's cut on Blu-Ray/DVD by Shout/Scream Factory.

You can see the petition/read more about it here:
http://www.change.org/petitions/shou...-blu-ray-dvd-2

And here's a video a friend of mine did with details about the director's cut/deleted scenes with pictures:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UucujYPtqgg

In short, Warner Bros. currently holds the rights to the movie, and I heard they won't license their titles.
So it's really a dead cause, or there are chances this might happen in the future?
If there are, what about restoring deleted scenes and releasing the Director's cut? Is it something Scream would be willing to do?

I'm sure you're very busy but I'm hopin' you can save some time to look this through and write me back.
I'll look forward to your reply.

Thanks,

Igor

Unfortunately, here's what I got back from him:

Hi,
The chances of it happening is very slim. They wouldn't license to us.... And restoring the footage could be costly.
Sorry,
Cliff

Yep. Apparently, Warner Bros. does not license their titles. Even if they don't want to release it, what's theirs is theirs and that's final.
The sad thing is IF Warner someday decides to release Deadly Friend on Blu-ray, it will be a barebones edition (ok maybe they will be kind enough to include theatrical trailer), most likely on a Double or Multi Feature release with other horror movies of theirs.

So that's it guys. I think we're fighting a dead cause.

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[–] Nick7080 10 years ago

Well, sht. That sucks. I guess only chance of seeing some special edition is if petition(s) get a lot of signatures and we send them to Warner Bros. It probably won't interest them but who knows, maybe if we get enough signatures or if we and other fans keep sending them messages/emails ect they might consider doing something about it. It's how some other underrated classics got special edition, Return Of The Living Dead is good example.

Another chance is if Wes Craven or someone else decides to do something about it, but that's also very slim chance.

Like i said, it's a slim chance but why not give it a shot. I keep saying to people who want to see special editions of their favorite movies that they should never give up. And about Deadly Friend, this is what i want to say to all fans out there who think that there is no chance to see original director's cut and special edition and they want to give up.

Keep trying even if it doesn't work. Give up, and you'll live in question. Dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin' to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back in time and do your best to see director's cut of Deadly Friend? Studio may destroy our favorite movies, but they'll never destroy...OUR LOVE FOR THEM!

:D

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[–] igorleoni22 10 years ago

maybe if we get enough signatures or if we and other fans keep sending them messages/emails ect they might consider doing something about it. It's how some other underrated classics got special edition, Return Of The Living Dead is good example.

Yep, both Return of The Living Dead and Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 got amazing special edition releases in the UK by Arrow. But I think they're both MGM titles and unlike Warner, they don't have a problem to license their titles to other companies.

Another chance is if Wes Craven or someone else decides to do something about it, but that's also very slim chance.

Indeed. Guillermo Del Toro did what he could to restore his vision and release the Director's Cut of Mimic. Still, many people say it doesn't differ that much from the theatrical version.
But Del Toro really cares about all his films and his fans. Wes Craven only cares about things that are still profitable, like Nightmare on Elm Street and the Scream franchise. I never see him talking about People Under the Stairs, Serpent and the Rainbow, Deadly Friend, etc. Like he wants to forget he ever shot these films. So yeah, I wouldn't hold my breath on it.

Keep trying even if it doesn't work. Give up, and you'll live in question. Dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin' to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back in time and do your best to see director's cut of Deadly Friend? Studio may destroy our favorite movies, but they'll never destroy...OUR LOVE FOR THEM!

Very well said. The petition is still there, I won't delete it.
It's a good way to show a few people still care about the film ;)

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[–] RobsBottin 10 years ago

John Fallon is NOT a HUGE fan of the movie, read his review over at arrowinthehead.com. Mark Tappin (President of Warners at the time) and associate producers killed Craven's enthusiasm for the movie, there was talk of a Directors cut but nobody knows if the footage still exists.

There's absolutely zero financial gain for Shout or Warner's, why would they invest in a movie that spectacularly failed at the box office? There was talk of a remake but news has petered out so far. Don't get me wrong I'd love to see a Directors cut but money is king and there would be little or no return.

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[–] Nick7080 10 years ago

John Fallon is NOT a HUGE fan of the movie, read his review over at arrowinthehead.com.

I did read his review and i think that it's obvious that he likes the movie even though he doesn't love it like some of us fans here.

As for blsht about remake, i'm not so sure that i want to see it remade, i would rather prefer to see original movie in version which was supposed to be released.

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[–] RobsBottin 10 years ago

He's a fan of the book not the movie. Warners did announce a remake about three years ago, although the announcement was lo-key there has been no further news.

I've always maintained that the original novel is utterly fantastic and is the perfect material for a screen adaptation. It's such a pity that Warners waded in and demanded Craven include so much unnecessary violence.

They don't understand the heart of the story - the evil does not reside within Sam (living or dead) but with those around her. It's essentially a tragic love story but those interfering cretins decided to muscle in on the success of Elm Street. That's the ONLY reason why so much gore and violence were included after the original screening.

I sincerely hope a reputable Director gets their hands on a remake and does the book justice that it richly deserves.

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[–] Nick7080 10 years ago

I've always maintained that the original novel is utterly fantastic and is the perfect material for a screen adaptation. It's such a pity that Warners waded in and demanded Craven include so much unnecessary violence.

They don't understand the heart of the story - the evil does not reside within Sam (living or dead) but with those around her. It's essentially a tragic love story but those interfering cretins decided to muscle in on the success of Elm Street.

That was exactly the main point of original version, but in the one which got released it's only briefly used.

That's the ONLY reason why so much gore and violence were included after the original screening.

I personally think that if they already decided to make death scenes more graphic, they could at least make them more realistic. Like somebody else here mentioned, it would be awesome if Samantha killed Elvira with shotgun, that way we could still get head explosion scene but it would probably be lot better, personally i would loved it if it was in Maniac/The Prowler style.

Little off topic here;

Speaking of death scenes, friend of mine and i watched this movie together few days ago and he mentioned couple of interesting things. Like for example how cool it would be if Samantha killed her dad in similar way like "android" killed guy in hospital in opening scenes of Halloween 3 or how movie would be lot scarier if it had score from some movie like H3. As much as i love Charles Bernstein's score, i have to agree with what he said cause i think it would be more effective if Deadly Friend had some more creepier scenes with score like the one John Carpenter and Alan Howarth made for H3.

Like i said, i don't want to see a remake but if they do it right second time and if it makes fans happy, then i guess it would be interesting to see new version, although once again, i would much prefer to see Craven's original cut, mostly because i am fan of the movie and director.

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[–] RobsBottin 10 years ago

After the test screening, Warners got wind of Craven's popularity has a horror film maker, Craven said himself that's why they butchered his film and literally demanded that Rubin write in six extra gore sequences. Previously NONE of them were included.

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[–] Nick7080 10 years ago

After the test screening, Warners got wind of Craven's popularity has a horror film maker, Craven said himself that's why they butchered his film and literally demanded that Rubin write in six extra gore sequences. Previously NONE of them were included.

Yes, i know that. I was just saying that they could do better job with them.

I wonder though was the death scene of Samantha's father changed, cause it doesn't really look like it was. Of course, the aftermath where his burned dead body is shown is obviously added during re-shots but part where Samantha kills him doesn't look like R material.

Any thoughts?

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[–] RobsBottin 10 years ago

Who the hell knows? You're asking me questions I can't possibly answer. Email Craven or contact him via Twitter. Bye.

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[–] Nick7080 10 years ago

Who the hell knows? You're asking me questions I can't possibly answer. Email Craven or contact him via Twitter. Bye.

Alright look, sorry if i pissed you off in any way with my replies and questions, i was just simply asking for some thoughts about the movie as one fan to another. I never said that you know everything about the movie and that i want answers. Either way, thanks a lot and enjoy the movies. Bye.

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[–] RobsBottin 10 years ago

No worries matey. Let's just say someone 'female' pissed me off at the time of writing to you :) I did email Warners a long time ago regarding a SE DVD/BLU RAY, if memory serves I don't think they replied.

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[–] igorleoni22 10 years ago

John Fallon is NOT a HUGE fan of the movie, read his review over at arrowinthehead.com

Weird, he said to me he was a fan and was more than happy to help the petition, as he did.
Maybe from a movie critic point of view he thinks Deadly Friend turned out to be a bad movie, as I think so too, but he still loves it. I can totally relate to that lol.

there was talk of a Directors cut but nobody knows if the footage still exists.

You're right. I'm still trying to find a way to contact Warner and ask them about that, no luck so far.

There's absolutely zero financial gain for Shout or Warner's, why would they invest in a movie that spectacularly failed at the box office?

Definitely Warner won't ever spend a single penny on this movie, but Shout invested and released far lesser known/worse films like Deadly Blessing. And as for failing at the box office, a lot of films failed spectacularly during their theatrical run but gained a cult following over the years (Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me and Showgirls are great examples).
I wouldn't say Deadly Friend is in the same league as these two, but the film does have its fan base and I'm sure Shout knows about it.

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[–] taylor-bigg 10 years ago

Hi there

I have just signed your petition today making it 41 needed, I checked back within 90 mins and now it`s 40.

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[–] igorleoni22 10 years ago

Thank you for your support taylor-bigg :)

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[–] 10 years ago

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[–] igorleoni22 10 years ago

I don't know what will happen when we get to 100, but I hope the site will let me set up a higher number. 100 signatures is nothing for something like this...

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[–] NunoFM2005 10 years ago

I signed the petition!

Some movies are meant to be seen!

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[–] TalesfromTheCryptfan 9 years ago

Yes a SE needs to be made with the original version in honor of Craven's memory.

It worked for Nightbreed when the true version with theatrical cut came to BD and Halloween 6, now DF needs SE treatment.

"If this is torture, chain me to the wall"-Oliver and Company

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[–] isajademarilyn 7 years ago

I signed today, more than 500 sigs.

I always felt that the movie had a dual identity. The gore scenes didn't fit in at all. I am glad to finally learn why, and hope to see one day Wes Craven's vision of Deadly friend. I would buy the DVD like I did with Richard Donner's cut of Superman.

By the way, the title doesn't match the original story then. Was it changed as well?

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