Deadly Friend story
A teenage computer prodigy implants a robot's hardrive into the brain of his teenage neighbor after she is pronounced brain dead; the experiment proves successful, but she swiftly begins a killing spree in their neighborhood. It is based on the 1985 novel Friend by Diana Henstell.
16 total · 5 major · 11 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| artificial intelligence | major | Paul built a robot named BB, which occasionally displays autonomous behavior, such as being protective of Paul. In addition, Paul discussed some AI principles underlying BB's functioning, including how he'd implemented BB with adaptive learning programs so that not even Paul himself could predict how it would behave in a given situation. |
| cyborg | major | Paul inadvertently transformed Samantha into a cyborg killing machine by implanting her lifeless brain with a special microchip. |
| friendship | major | Paul made friends with Tom upon moving to a new neighborhood. |
| mother and son | major | Jennie and her teenage science whiz son Paul. |
| teen romance | major | Paul and Samantha were really hitting it off until such time as her father killer her and then Paul resurrected her as a murderous cyborg. |
| alcohol abuse | minor | Samantha's father Harry was an alcoholic. In fact, the cyborg version of Samantha lured Harry to his death with a bottle of bourbon. |
| child abuse | minor | Samantha was physically abused by her domineering father. |
| childish bullying | minor | Paul and Tom were picked on by a stereotypical schoolyard bully. |
| coping with the death of a lover | minor | Paul broke down in tears after his lover Samantha was shot dead by the police. |
| father and daughter | minor | Samantha was terrorized by her abusive father. |