Horror/Thriller
1 hour and 15 minutes
Rated UR
Written by: Francis Ford Coppola
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
Produced by: Roger Corman
Cast:
William Campbell
Luana Anders
Patrick Magee
You Must Pass the "D-13" Test to Prepare You for the Horrifying Experience of Dementia 13. If You Fail the Test ... You Will Be Asked to Leave the Theater!
Roger Corman and Francis Ford Coppola are two names that will live on forever in discussions between cinephiles concerning the greatest filmmakers of all time. If their pairing for a single motion-picture doesn't excite you - chances are you don't know enough about film to be labeled a true cinephile.
Dementia 13 is one of Coppola's earliest films. Corman, by this time, had several movies under his belt - and was an absolute force to be reckoned with in the horror/exploitation genres. It's no surprise that Corman found such a talented filmmaker before his rise to fame (he would do so for various other filmmakers, including Martin Scorsese and Ron Howard).
The film itself is surprisingly good. I say surprisingly because based Corman's earlier works, things can come across as being somewhat .... well, cheap. That being said, there isn't really a cheap moment throughout Dementia 13. In fact, it's hard to believe the film was made on a budget of around $30,000.
It's a very well written motion-picture, and Coppola's talent shines through in many of the film's creepiest dialogue sequences. The first of which being a moment where one of the main characters is recalling the contents of his nightmares. Another, when the family doctor confronts the same character about the missing sister-in-law. Equally impressive is the film's cinematography. Close-ups are used throughout to capture the actors' reactions to one another, and long shots are used just as effectively to create a cavernous quality to the castle where most of the story takes place.
The film's greatest asset, however, is the lighting. It wouldn't be an amazing black & white horror film if the lighting were sloppy. And in Dementia 13, the lighting is everything but sloppy. The opening scene especially, that finds our main character and her husband out on a boat ride in the middle of the night, is lit perfectly. Characters are framed when needed, and shadows are in all the right places.
Dementia 13 even manages to conjure up a few good scares. The first of which involving several mechanical toys, which - due to the film's lighting - appear so sinister, their images remain with you after viewing the film. Other scares include a dead child's playhouse, and a runaway baby carriage.
I can't say Dementia 13 is a flawless film. Despite all this praise, it does have its problems. For one, the film has some apparent "similarities" to Psycho. The most blatant being the lead female character brutally murdered halfway through the film by a killer in the shadows. A demented character talking to a deceased relative is another standout Psycho-ripoff in the film. Most likely, Corman was trying to cash in on the success that Psycho had sparked within the slasher genre. Not a bad thing, but perhaps if these similarities weren't so blatant, the film could've been better.
Another issue is the film does become predictable about three quarters of the way through. If you can't figure out who the killer is by that point, chances are you weren't paying attention to the story. This ruins any sort of shock factor when the killer is supposed to be revealed at the end.
The only moment that truly drew me out of the viewing experience was when a boom entered the top of the frame. It was then apparent that its shadow was clearly visible as well. A technical mishap that was so brief, it really didn't affect the film too much.
With incredible direction, a wonderful screenplay, and an almost unbelievable production quality (considering its budget) - Dementia 13 is a film that is exploding with true cinematic talent, and contains more memorable moments than disappointing ones.
7.5/10
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