Want a movie that has all the elemts of a b-movie, psycho-thriller, suspense, mystery, horror, independent and black and white film? The 1963 horror flick Dementia 13 is a good film for you to watch. The film was the first "mainstream" film written and directed by the legendary Francis Ford Coppola, for those of you who admire his work. It the first film I can't really tell you that this film is bad or good since it is highly subjective. Everyone has their own opinion, but we will get to that later. The film is public domain and can be watched here, but first you might like to know a little more about it.
The film begins with John (William Campbell) and Louise Haloran (Luana Anders) taking a midnight boat ride to the sound of an upbeat rockability song on the transistor radio. Just as he is telling her that if he dies before his mother (Eithne Dunne), Louise will inherit nothing, he has a heart attack in their boat without his pills to help him through the incident. She disposes of the body and intends to travel to his mother's gloomy Irish castle to convince her to change the will, not letting the family know that her husband's body is in a lake somewhere. Louise goes "in place" of her husband for the memorial service of a mysterious person known as Kathleen (Barbara Dowling). Louise finds out that Kathleen is her husband's baby sister who died in a weird drowning accident back in Ireland, which the family still keeps shrouded in mystery. When she arrives there, Louise discovers that her late husband's family is a lot stranger than she counted on and is keeping some terrible secrets.And whatever you do, stay away from that pond.
The film is widely considered a b-movie, especially being produced by Roger Corman who
was a famous b-filmmaker. Opinions are pretty much split on the movie. Some love it, some hate it, and others really can't make up their mind. Coppola fans say this early film gives insight into his future works. Slasher film fans say this film is a natural ancestor to the subgenre. Hitchcock fans say that this film is a blatant rip-off of Psycho, from the low-budget style to the black and white to the script. The best way to figure out what is true is to watch the film for yourself, but some reviews might also be helpful.
The film begins with John (William Campbell) and Louise Haloran (Luana Anders) taking a midnight boat ride to the sound of an upbeat rockability song on the transistor radio. Just as he is telling her that if he dies before his mother (Eithne Dunne), Louise will inherit nothing, he has a heart attack in their boat without his pills to help him through the incident. She disposes of the body and intends to travel to his mother's gloomy Irish castle to convince her to change the will, not letting the family know that her husband's body is in a lake somewhere. Louise goes "in place" of her husband for the memorial service of a mysterious person known as Kathleen (Barbara Dowling). Louise finds out that Kathleen is her husband's baby sister who died in a weird drowning accident back in Ireland, which the family still keeps shrouded in mystery. When she arrives there, Louise discovers that her late husband's family is a lot stranger than she counted on and is keeping some terrible secrets.And whatever you do, stay away from that pond.
The film is widely considered a b-movie, especially being produced by Roger Corman who
was a famous b-filmmaker. Opinions are pretty much split on the movie. Some love it, some hate it, and others really can't make up their mind. Coppola fans say this early film gives insight into his future works. Slasher film fans say this film is a natural ancestor to the subgenre. Hitchcock fans say that this film is a blatant rip-off of Psycho, from the low-budget style to the black and white to the script. The best way to figure out what is true is to watch the film for yourself, but some reviews might also be helpful.As I said, a lot of Hitchcock fans believe the film is a Psycho wannabe, such as the review here. Classic-horror.com did a sort of mixed review here, which might be helpful to some. There are some who believe the film is a waste of time, like those at 100misspenthours.com, whose review is here. Contemporary critics universally panned the film, but it is gained considerable cult popularity over the years. Also, the message board at IMDB for the film is a good place to get info on the film.
This is a very dark film and since it is an ancestor of slasher films, there is a good deal of blood and violence. There are tons of twists, turns, and creep outs, but its all worth it for a good scare.
This is a very dark film and since it is an ancestor of slasher films, there is a good deal of blood and violence. There are tons of twists, turns, and creep outs, but its all worth it for a good scare.
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