Deathdream (1974)

Dir: Bob Clark
(aka "Dead of Night", "The Night Andy Came Home")

This lost classic opens with a family receiving a telegram that announces the death of their soldier son in Vietnam. They're naturally surprised when he shows up downstairs the very same night, looking quite alive. They assume the telegram was a mix-up but when they tell young Andy that they thought he was dead, he replies cryptically, "I was". Before long, they'll be really wishing he'd stayed that way... "Deathdream" is a rather remarkable horror film and works equally on two levels. If nothing else, it's a well-written and well-acted supernatural thriller that borrows from both the vampire and zombie genres. But on a loftier plane, it's a furious, damning allegory; a forceful raging against the tragically real after-effects of the Vietnam war. Unsettling and bleak viewing material, no doubt, but you won't forget its devastating finalé for awhile afterwards. ***1/2