Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Deadly Love Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf August 9, 2024

Writer/director Michael S. O’Rourke looks to bring the teenage pain and melodrama of a Shangri-Las song to the screen with 1987’s “Deadly Love.” It’s a study of tragedy and revenge, but also obsession and dark magic, with O’Rourke aiming to summon the passion of youth to help energize a grim examination of insanity. The elements are all there in the plot, giving the helmer a shot to generate a twisted tale featuring unstable characters and their fixations, but the movie isn’t always interested in pursuing the most dynamic storytelling. “Deadly Love” has difficulty working up intensity, or any suspense really, finding O’Rourke unable to overcome obvious budgetary limitations and go for something gonzo. Little of it makes sense, but there’s an idea here that’s interesting. It’s just never developed into something outrageous.

In 1965, Annie (Cassie Brown) is deeply in love with her motorcycle-riding boyfriend, Buddy (Mark Oglesby), with the pair trying to carry on a secret relationship, fearful of being caught by Annie’s father. Also interested in the coupling is Clint (Jim Alves), a caretaker obsessed with Annie, following the pair as they try to maintain contact. During a confrontation on Annie’s farm, Clint kills Buddy, burying him in the front yard, sending the young girl into a psychological freefall, leaving her to mourn the loss for the next 20 years. Annie becomes a target for local teens, including Buster, who’s looking to make trouble, and she delves into the occult to try and bring Buddy back from the dead. Arriving at the house in 1985 is Hillie (Kelly O’Rourke), who’s inherited the dwelling, connecting with Skip (Buddy Reynolds), a junior college teacher. She also finds Annie’s diary, learning more about her aunt’s trauma while Buster and his gang renews their troublemaking, only now there’s someone who resembles Buddy making sure nobody hurts the young woman.

“Deadly Love” isn’t elegantly written. In fact, there’s a real possibility some of it was made up on the spot. But the saga of Annie and Buddy remains somewhat vivid in its ache, with the pair trying to be kids in love, only to find angry protests from Annie’s dad, while Clint is a creep who wants her all to himself. Annie and Buddy have a special song, and one that’s replayed throughout “Deadly Love,” giving the picture a theme of longing to help comfort the teen girl after Buddy is slaughtered in front of her, sending the teen on a journey of depression that makes a pit stop at occult practices. However, this element of magic isn’t fully prioritized by the production, which soon makes a time jump to 1985, picking up with Hillie’s arrival.

Inheriting a house of horrors, Hillie discovers more about Annie via diary entries. She also finds comfort from Skip, who resembles Buddy, setting up a reunion of spirits as they develop mutual attraction. “Deadly Love” loses focus in its second half, with O’Rourke not exactly sure what to do with Hillie and Skip beyond setting things up for a slasher-style study of revenge. Buster and his pals are trouble, happily tormenting Annie (and Hallie), and they’re due for comeuppance, allowing “Deadly Love” to indulge some sequences of torture and gore, giving the picture genre elements to please horror hounds.

Deadly Love Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.37:1 aspect ratio) presentation is listed as "newly scanned & restored in 4K from 35mm vault elements." "Deadly Love" does have some points of damage during the viewing experience, and scratches are periodically encountered. Detail reaches as far as possible, capturing skin particulars and fibrous costuming, including heavier leather on the motorcyclists. Housing and barn interiors retain dimension, exploring sparsely decorated rooms. Exteriors are deep, preserving rural expanse. Colors are alert, with sharp red throughout, giving life to roses and displays of blood. Whites are crisp, and greenery is distinct. Delineation is satisfactory, preserving evening encounters. Grain is heavy and film-like.

Deadly Love Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix shows its age, but intelligibility is preserved, dealing with a range of performance abilities and technical limitations during dialogue exchanges. Scoring selections retain a thin synth sound, supporting horror happenings. Soundtrack offerings are also basic in design, with clear vocals.

Deadly Love Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features editor John Strysik and composer/sound recordist Charles Binckley.

• "The Great Times We Had"(25:57, HD) is an interview with actress Kelly O'Rourke (credited as "Eileen Hart"), daughter of writer/director Michael S. O'Rourke, and she details her experience with her dad, who moved his family to Los Angeles when Kelly was very young. The interviewee shares her memories of "Deadly Love," endeavoring to learn more about acting as she worked to perfect her hair for the shoot. She provides some thoughts on the locations, digging into the details of a speedy production working with little money and resources. The interviewee also highlights a reshot ending completed months later, when the movie ran too short. The conversation turns to 1989's "Moonstalker," giving O'Rourke another chance to prove himself in horror, and the helmer eventually transitioned to becoming an author, finding some success in the literary realm. Kelly also dived into writing, even creating YA "Halloween" books in the 1990s.

• "Here's the Equipment, Figure it Out" (18:52, HD) is an interview with composer/sound recordist Charles Binckley, who arrived on "Deadly Love" with minimal experience in the world of filmmaking. Already friends with editor John Strysik and writer/director Michael S. O'Rourke, the interviewee learned on the go, turning to his home synthesizers to create the musical atmosphere for "Deadly Love." Binckley offers some personal history, developing a love of instruments, managing to sharpen his skills, which were put to the test on a few early projects. The production experience is recalled, exposing Binckley to how labor-intensive his job was, getting into some of the technical challenges he faced, especially when recording soundtrack selections. Reflecting on the finished project, the interviewee is candid about his limitations and his ambitions.

• "Deadly Cuts" (15:18, HD) is an interview with editor John Strysik, who developed his tastes in film school, putting his education to the test by making short films in Chicago. Eventually working his way to L.A. in 1983, he met Michael S. O'Rourke, combining forces to compete in the home video market with "Deadly Love." Memories from the shoot are shared, with plenty of creative and technical challenges for the team, and some talk of casting is offered, with Buddy Reynolds, related to Burt Reynolds, hired to have a "name" actor. The interviewee shares a few other career achievements, including a screenwriting credit on Stuart Gordon's "Stuck."

• Original Score (67:14) is offered.

• "Forever" (4:20) is audio of the theme song from "Deadly Love."

• A Trailer has not been included on this release.

Deadly Love Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Instead of growing more intense or even weirder, "Deadly Love" noticeably flattens as it enters the second act, dropping the world of Annie and her insanity for Hillie and her…tours of the house and small talk with Skip. There's a more violent conclusion to serve as a payoff for the general sluggishness of the storytelling, taking matters to a nearby barn for anguish, but a little physical punishment can't jolt the feature awake. And efforts to understand all that's happening in "Deadly Love" aren't rewarded by a considered screenplay, which soon gives up on clarity. There's something to enjoy in the opening moments of the endeavor, but O'Rourke can't make teen tragedy last long enough to cover for a lackluster effort.