The Film
Had Francis Ford Coppola not gone on to direct Apocalypse Now or the Godfather trilogy, Dementia 13 would have vanished into the DVD bargain bins that you find at dollar stores around the country and not become the B-movie classic that it remains today. For a student fresh out of UCLA, Dementia 13 was surprisingly so-so fare; at least Coppola tried to make it look different with interesting camera shots and creative lighting.
The aspiring Francis Ford Coppola presented B-movie maven, Roger Corman, with a script for the film that piqued the more established film-maker's interest. Corman loved the promise of nudity and gore and so he handed the directorial reigns to the virgin director. And the always-frugal Corman went dumpster diving to salvage bits and pieces from his previous project The Young Racers which came in under budget, to be reused in Coppola's film. Corman loved Hitchcock's Psycho (primarily because it made money) and asked the budding young Coppola to deliver him something similar with Dementia 13 -- for peanuts. Ultimately Coppola did not disappoint. At least it didn't devolve into something horrible like The Cave Dwellers or Ator.
In terms of plot, the tale is fairly straightforward, if offbeat. Following the death of her husband, Louise Haloran (Luanda Anders) must travel to Ireland to spend some time with her deceased husband's demented family and all hell breaks loose when an axe-wielding psychopath decides to crash the family reunion. The campy dialogue doesn't detract too much from the film which actually has some suspenseful moments -- although it never really achieves the level of psychological terror that made Psycho so memorable.
There is one great moment in the film that fans of the Godfather will certainly appreciate; something about a rowboat, a lake, and a body. I know it was you, Fredo.
Dementia 13 isn't a great film, but at 75 minutes, it doesn't drag long enough to be bad. Francis Ford Coppola had to start somewhere and he certainly showed promise with this campy cult classic.
The Picture
The Sound
HD Cinema Classics/Film Chest added two new Dolby Digital mixes for the Blu-ray release and neither one of them really improves on the original soundtrack, which never really sounded that great to begin with. It's hard to polish a turd; especially one that sounds completely post-dubbed with some synch issues. The soundtrack reminds me of a Lowther loudspeaker driver; everything in the middle with highs and lows that have been sliced off with a chainsaw. The surround mix adds next to nothing; fortunately it doesn't completely ruin Ronald Stein's soundtrack which is the only redeeming part of the mix. Apocalypse Now it isn't.
The Extras
We'll get back to you on that one. Granted, the movie postcard will make a great addition to your wall of movie memorabilia. But that, a before/after restoration demo and a trailer are all you get.
Final Thoughts
Dementia 13 is not even close to being the worst film you'll ever watch, but it really doesn't hold a candle to Hitchcock's Psycho -- which clearly served as Roger Corman's inspiration for making the film. The audio and picture quality are less than impressive, but for a list price of $15.99 to get the Blu-ray and DVD versions of the film is a pretty good deal. And the fact that its young director would eventually go on to create three of the greatest films of all-time makes it a must-own for fans of Francis Ford Coppola. Calling Tom Servo -- wherever you are.
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