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Dementia 13

Play trailer Poster for Dementia 13 1963 1h 21m Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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70% Tomatometer 30 Reviews 35% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
After John Haloran (Peter Read) dies, his wife, Louise (Luana Anders), fears that she will be denied his inheritance. Fabricating a story about John traveling to the United States, she joins the rest of the Haloran family at their Irish estate as they hold a memorial for John's sister, who died in a lake eight years ago. Louise schemes to convince Lady Haloran (Eithne Dunne) that she can speak with the dead child. However, this plan is interrupted by an axe murderer loose on the estate.
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Dementia 13

Critics Reviews

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Anton Bitel Little White Lies Modern viewers... will have little trouble identifying the shadowy figure whodunnit, but there is still real pleasure in wandering these halls of repressed madness, where everyone seems affected, one way or another, by the tragedy of Kathleen Nov 16, 2021 Full Review Becca James Chicago Reader ...while it's by no means perfect, it does hint at Coppola's capabilities... Oct 8, 2021 Full Review Sara Michelle Fetters MovieFreak.com Dementia 13 remains an oddity, but if that's the case it's a supremely entertaining one. Sep 22, 2021 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand It’s a second rate movie but a superb example of low-budget invention and a glimpse of an American auteur while he was still learning his craft. Sep 14, 2024 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy While this doesn't quite show off Coppola's filmmaking prowess, it remains an essential part of his filmography. Rated: 2.5/4 Oct 29, 2021 Full Review Armond White National Review While the emotional depths of this exploitation film are hidden by low-budget shortcuts and discount psychologizing, the generic commonplaces are made evocative by young Coppola's already evident flair. Sep 29, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Allan C DEMENTIA 13 was produced by Roger Corman, who allowed his assistant director on THE YOUNG RACERS, a young Francis Ford Coppola (THE GODFATHER, APOCALYPSE NOW, BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA, etc.), a shot at directing his first feature (not including a couple nudie films he made) if he included a few requisite elements (using the same sets, crew, and actors as Corman’s previous film, and that it be similar to William Castle’s HOMICIDAL, which itself was a knockoff of PSYCHO, and had a knife killing scene), so that’s exactly what Coppola wrote for Corman, which Corman then approved. The story is actually pretty complicated, but the simple version is it’s about a woman who kills her husband on the lake of his rich family’s estate, sinks the body, and then hatches a scheme to claim the family inheritance hiding the fact that her husband is dead. Little does she know there’s an axe murderer somewhere on the grounds. Coppola does bring some artistry to the proceedings, with more clever framing and angles than you usually see in a Corman production. However, after Corman saw the film, he made multiple changes that Coppola did not approve of. Coppola re-edited the film in 2018 and created his director’s cut, which is the version I watched. This is definitely not top-tier Coppola, but you can see more talent behind the camera on this film than you see in most Corman productions. There’s also some male gaze going on here with Coppola and star Luana Anders. I was noticing how attractively photographed she looked in the film and after I listened to Coppola’s commentary track for the blu-ray, he makes the interesting confession he had a massive crush on her and if he’d been more self-confident at the time, he would have asked her out on a date (though his future wife was also working on the film in the art department). Rated 3 out of 5 stars 11/11/24 Full Review Isa B "We made a rip-off of a rip-off.", Francis Ford Coppola says while laughing about his first feature length film. "I was so proud that I made something that vaguely looked like a movie.", he also said of Dementia 13. This isn't a great film by any stretch of the measure, but it is a good bit of fun made by a young, future all-time great filmmaker. It is certainly worth a watch. I definitely believe this film had some impact on the creation of the original Friday the 13th that came several years later. There are certain plot elements that seem to close to be coincidental. I do recommend this film. 55/100 Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 11/09/24 Full Review Carlos I While a young Coppola is impressive here with a nothing budget and resources, it's still a rather unimpressive horror flick. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 09/16/24 Full Review christine l I stumbled upon this after it had started on TCM and found myself engrossed by it. When I checked it on rotten tomatoes afterwards I found out it was Francis Ford Coppola -- I'm probably the only person in the world who loves FFC for his film, "Peggy Sue Got Married," a film I have seen many, many times. In "The Godfather," I covered my eyes and put my fingers in my ears so I wouldn't hear any gross sounds. You know that scene where the guy wakes up with the horse's head in his bed? I thought someone had cut his legs off in the middle of the night because I had my eyes covered and thumbs in my ears. I couldn't figure out how he wasn't in pain. It wasn't til years later that I found out about the horse's head! The same filmmaker who made "Peggy Sue" made Dementia 13. Will wonders never cease! Will always love "Peggy Sue" and hate "The Godfather." That poor horse! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/18/24 Full Review A M Has some great shots and some genuine gore. Worth it for Luana Anders' performance. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/11/24 Full Review Glen A Coppola was the master back in the day. "Dementia 13" has no right to be as engrossing as it is. I just hung on every scene, enjoying how each one played out. I'm taking off points because it doesn't quite stick the landing at the end, but the ride is definitely worthwhile. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/19/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Dementia 13

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Movie Info

Synopsis After John Haloran (Peter Read) dies, his wife, Louise (Luana Anders), fears that she will be denied his inheritance. Fabricating a story about John traveling to the United States, she joins the rest of the Haloran family at their Irish estate as they hold a memorial for John's sister, who died in a lake eight years ago. Louise schemes to convince Lady Haloran (Eithne Dunne) that she can speak with the dead child. However, this plan is interrupted by an axe murderer loose on the estate.
Director
Francis Ford Coppola
Producer
Roger Corman
Screenwriter
Francis Ford Coppola
Production Co
Filmgroup Productions
Genre
Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 7, 2011
Runtime
1h 21m
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