Deadly Friend
Paul Conway and his mother Jeannie Conway travel to a new town where Paul will join the local university invited by Dr. Johanson. They bring the robot BB that was developed by Paul, who is a genius in robotics. Paul befriends the paperboy, Tom Toomey, and has a crush on his next door neighbor, Samantha Pringle, whose abusive alcoholic father Harry Pringle frequently hurts her. One day, Paul, Sam, Tom and BB are playing basketball and the ball falls in the field of their paranoid grumpy neighbor Elvira Parker who won't give it back to the teenagers. On Halloween, Tom convinces Paul to let BB open the padlock of the entrance to Elvira's house. However, there is an alarm system and Elvira blows up BB with her shotgun. Then Harry pushes his daughter down the stairs, and the doctors leave her brain-dead connected to life support. However, Paul convinces Tom to go to the hospital to rescue Sam, and then he implants BB's chip into her brain, resurrecting Samantha. But will she come back to life normal?
The film earned $9.0M at the global box office.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Deadly Friend (1986) exemplifies deliberately positioned dramatic framework, characteristic of Wes Craven's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 31 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.1, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Paul Conway arrives in a new neighborhood with his mother and his advanced robot BB, a brilliant teenager with a promising future ahead of him at the local university.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 10 minutes when BB is shot and destroyed by the paranoid neighbor Elvira Parker after wandering onto her property on Halloween night, devastating Paul and eliminating his prized creation.. At 11% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 22 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to Sam is thrown down the stairs by her abusive father and suffers catastrophic brain damage, declared brain-dead at the hospital. Paul makes the choice to steal her body and implant BB's chip into her brain., moving from reaction to action.
At 46 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 51% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat Sam/BB escapes Paul's control and murders Elvira Parker in brutal fashion (the infamous basketball scene), revealing that Paul has created a monster he cannot control., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 69 minutes (76% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Sam/BB is shot by police and truly dies. Paul's mother confronts him about what he's done. Paul realizes his attempt to save Sam through science has destroyed everything he loved., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 73 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Paul visits Sam's grave to say goodbye and accept that she is truly gone, ready to face the consequences of his actions and let her rest., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Deadly Friend's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Deadly Friend against these established plot points, we can identify how Wes Craven utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Deadly Friend within the drama genre.
Wes Craven's Structural Approach
Among the 14 Wes Craven films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Deadly Friend represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Wes Craven filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman. For more Wes Craven analyses, see A Nightmare on Elm Street, Vampire in Brooklyn and New Nightmare.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Paul Conway arrives in a new neighborhood with his mother and his advanced robot BB, a brilliant teenager with a promising future ahead of him at the local university.
Theme
Paul's friend Tom warns him about getting too attached to technology and the danger of playing God, foreshadowing the film's central question about the limits of science and love.
Worldbuilding
Paul settles into the neighborhood, meets his neighbor Samantha Pringle who lives with her abusive father, befriends local teen Tom, demonstrates BB's capabilities, and begins developing feelings for Sam.
Disruption
BB is shot and destroyed by the paranoid neighbor Elvira Parker after wandering onto her property on Halloween night, devastating Paul and eliminating his prized creation.
Resistance
Paul grieves for BB while growing closer to Sam. Sam's abuse at home escalates. Paul considers ways to preserve BB's technology and intelligence, debating what to do with the chip.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Sam is thrown down the stairs by her abusive father and suffers catastrophic brain damage, declared brain-dead at the hospital. Paul makes the choice to steal her body and implant BB's chip into her brain.
Mirror World
Sam awakens with BB's consciousness, representing Paul's attempt to merge love and technology, creating a new relationship that reflects his inability to let go.
Premise
Paul hides reanimated Sam, tries to teach her and control her behavior, experiences brief moments of hope that she might return to normal, while her robotic and violent tendencies increasingly emerge.
Midpoint
Sam/BB escapes Paul's control and murders Elvira Parker in brutal fashion (the infamous basketball scene), revealing that Paul has created a monster he cannot control.
Opposition
Police investigate Elvira's death. Sam/BB becomes more violent and unpredictable. Paul struggles to maintain the illusion of control. Sam/BB kills her abusive father. The authorities close in on Paul.
Collapse
Sam/BB is shot by police and truly dies. Paul's mother confronts him about what he's done. Paul realizes his attempt to save Sam through science has destroyed everything he loved.
Crisis
Paul grieves and processes the full horror of his actions, understanding that his love and scientific ambition have resulted in death and tragedy rather than salvation.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Paul visits Sam's grave to say goodbye and accept that she is truly gone, ready to face the consequences of his actions and let her rest.
Synthesis
Paul confronts the aftermath at the cemetery where Sam's reanimated corpse emerges one final time in a nightmare sequence, forcing him to face the full horror of his transgression against nature.
Transformation
Paul awakens or escapes the nightmare, forever changed by his failed attempt to conquer death through technology, having learned the cost of playing God.