B&W, 1963, 75 mins. Directed by Francis Ford Coppolla
Starring William Campbell, Luana Anders, Patrick Magee, Bart Patton / Music by Ronald Stein
Format: DVD - Troma/Roan Group (MSRP $19.98)
Letterboxed (1.50:1) / Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Long before making a splash with The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppolla was part of the stable on up and coming talent supervised by Roger Corman for American International Pictures during the 1960s. Though he started out with innocuous nudies
During a nocturnal rowboat trip, crafty Louise Haloran (Corman favorite Luana Anders) is appalled when her manipulative husband, John, drops dead from a heart attack. Since Louise hasn't been written into John's lucrative family will, she dumps his body over the side (along with his gurgling transistor radio) and types out a note alerting John's mother that she will be coming over to the family estate in Ireland for a little visit. The Haloran estate welcomes Louise with open arms, particularly when she poses as a psychic with an ability to contact the spirit of John's long dead sister, Kathleen. The family matriarch (Ethne Dunn) proves the most susceptible to Louise's manipulations, but John's brothers, Richard (William Campbell) and Billy (Bart Patton), may not be so easily swayed. Then there are the other parties involved, such as the family doctor, Justin Caleb (the always fascinating Patrick Magee),
Simply put, Dementia 13 is a horror film that either grabs you right away or doesn't. The rich, atmospheric opening sequence (in which both characters seem to be floating in a black void) is just the first of many memorable sequences; thanks to Coppola's visual skill, even a simple visit to a child's bedroom at night becomes a visual tapestry of macabre faces and menacing shadows. The film's real tour de force (and most direct borrowing from Psycho) occurs a third into the film; this lyrical, horrific set piece is still one of Coppolla's finest hours but can't really be discussed further without destroying the story. On the other hand, the killer's identity isn't really much of a stunner, but the plot still contains enough novel twists and turns with each character to keep the viewer rivted to the screen. Kudos as well to composer Ronald Stein (The Haunted Palace), who produced what is arguably his finest work ever with a chilling combination of harpsichord, strings, and percussion.
Due to a legal snafu with the opening animated title card, Dementia 13 wound up falling into the public domain and has suffered from some of the worst transfers in home video history. The delicate black and white photography has more often looked like a blurry mess on VHS, so it was with great anticipation that Roan announced a widescreen laserdisc release back in the '90s. Their efforts should be evaluated with a little historical perspective; while Corman undoubtedly must possess superior print material somewhere in his vaults, the Roan edition, while undeniably flawed, is at least a step up from any other option out there. Distracting print damage is evident throughout, the image is smudgier than titles made decades before it, and God only knows what the original aspect ratio is supposed to be (the disc claims to be 1.66:1 but measures out closer to 1.50:1). However, it's at least watchable and makes for a decent way to expeience a very worthwhile film. The mono audio is a little cleaner than the tape counterparts, but some of the dialogue is still muddier than it should be. More immediately pleasing are the extras, including the theatrical trailer (complete with a terrific admonishment from a "medical expert" about the psychological aftermath of Psycho's theatrical release), a feature audio commentary from Campbell detailing the location shooting and various people involved with the production, and a digital counterpart to the "D-13" test (a psych evaluation from the theatrical run) originally reproduced as an insert with the laserdisc.
like The Bellboy and the Playgirls, Coppolla soon proved his worth against seemingly impossible odds with Dementia 13, one of the most memorable Psycho knockoffs. With the aid of clever casting, imaginative photography, and some genuine seat-rattling shocks, this zero budget quickie became a late night TV favorite and has haunted viewers for nearly four decades.
and a weird groundsman with a penchant for hunting at night. Suddenly shocking axe murders begin to proliferate at Castle Haloran, and some dark, gruesome family secrets are soon revealed.
