Dementia 13

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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 3/5 Stars •  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 2.5/5 Stars •  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 2.5/5 Stars •  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 5/5 Stars •  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 3/5 Stars •  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 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/19/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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