Dementia 13

Rating:
Summary: Two Corman classics for the price of one! However...
Review: ...buyer beware of extremely low quality EP mode video re-production.

The first feature of this 2 tape set is "Dementia 13". Released in 1963, this cult classic is notable for atleast one reason, it was Francis Ford Coppola's directorial debut. The film is centered around a spooky old castle, the accidental drowning of a little girl, and a deranged killer who uses an axe to do his victims in. Semi-enjoyable B-grade "whodunnit" horror flick that is sure to be enjoyed by every fan of the genre. However, viewer beware: "Dementia 13" is a dark and somewhat disturbing film and contains scenes of graphic violence - not recommended for the squeamish or faint of heart.

The second feature, "Creature from the Haunted Sea", on the other hand, is a highly enjoyable B-grade sci-fi monster flick filled with lots of camp humor and several genuine "laugh out loud" moments of corny comedy. This one's about a United States secret agent who is posing as a crew member on board a boat being used by a small group of gangsters in search of undersea treasure. The not too threatening gang is made up of a Humphrey Bogart look-alike, his sexy girlfriend who likes to spend most of her time prancing around in bikinis while singing the film's title song, the girlfriend's younger idiot teenage brother who happens to look a lot like Richie Cunningham, and a mentally challenged, muscle bounded adolescent whose main form of communication is imitating the sounds of nearly every member of the animal kingdom. As if all that weren't enough, there's also a sea monster,complete with Freddy Krueger gloves for hands and diver's fins for feet who looks a lot like something you'd see on an episode of the "Muppet Show", thrown into the mele to mess things up a little more. The animated sequence during the opening credits is also quite enjoyable. There's also quite a bit of truly fascinating underwater footage that rivals similar scenes filmed for the "Creature from the Black Lagoon" films.

The 3 star rating is mainly for "Creature from the Haunted Sea". "Dementia 13", while not really a bad movie, gets 2 & a half stars.

Again, the quality of this Madacy Entertainment two tape edition leaves a lot to be desired. The tapes are [poor] EP copies and come with all the viewing problems that accompany most videos recorded in that mode, the exception being videos produced by Goodtimes Entertainment which usually happen to be quite good. Unless you really want to spend absolutely as little money as possible for these two movies and don't care much about product quality, then this edition is just right for you. However, you'd really be better off spending a little more money and buying these movies separately from better quality video manufacturers.

At any rate, happy viewing, and try not to get too scared or laugh yourself to death!

Rating:
Summary: Francis Ford Coppola debut film is one of his best.
Review: Francis Ford Coppola is a very famous and successful director. Normally, the first films are normally the worst and don't appeal people because they are amateurs. This film was a surprise to me. It had all the elements of a good horror film. Blood and gory violence and bone chilling suspense.

The story seems simple, but it is sort of complicated. It is about a woman whose husband has a fatal heart attack. She then arrives at the doorstep of his family's large estate. For some reason, she feels that something is not right about the family. It seems as if they are hiding something.

Soon, her suspicions are higher when an axe murderer begins to mutilate them one by one. As she gets closer to the truth, the body count rises and the killer gets closer and closer to her.

The acting is outstanding and it keeps your heart pounding until the hair raising climax. I would recommend this for anyone who wants a gory chiller.

Rating:
Summary: COPPOLA'S FIRST APOCALYPSE
Review: In 1963, the movie audience had already experienced the new kind of psychological horror movie born with the great PSYCHO. Francis Ford Coppola's attempt at matching that horror is greatly inferior, of course, but as an exercise in mental terror, it works on its own subliminal level. The wonderful Luana Anders starts out the film virtually murdering her rich husband, and then tosses his body in a pond, telling the family he's off on a business trip. She wants his Mama to change the will to include the in-laws. As in PSYCHO, Anders is dispatched early in the film in a very surprising way, and although it can't touch Janet Leigh's demise in PSYCHO or Angie Dickinson's in DRESSED TO KILL, it packs a wallop. From there on in, it's time to figure out who the nasty killer is. It's fairly easy to pick the killer out, but there are some wildly frenetic scenes before getting there. Bart Patton and Patrick Magee provide excellent support and one can detect the future genious of Coppola in this atmospheric thriller.

Rating:
Summary: Solid Horror Entertainment
Review: This early horror effort by famed directed Francis Ford Coppola about an axe murderer stalking an Irish castle contained some pretty meaty violence for its day, but by todays standards, it is obviously very tame. That said, this film is more about atmosphere and style than gore, and if that's what your looking for, then you can't go much wrong with Demetia 13. Shame the killers identity is so easy to predict. A deserved classic of the genre, sadly this DVD doesn't do the film justice: the extras are skimpy and the the image is in full screen. Even worse, during the last 10 minutes, the screen would briefly break up and go all over the place. You thought they would have taken more care transferring a film like this to DVD, considering it's cult following. Even so, highly reccomended.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting but flawed
Review: This is certainly an achievement for a $20,000 budget, even in
1963. And the direction is often striking, showing much promise
for Coppola's future but in no way anticipating the "Godfather"
epics. However, the original story by the director is pretty
derivative and doesn't really go anywhere, and most of the
acting is mediocre at best. I'd advise any horror fan to buy a
budget dvd of this as it is a cult item, as well as any fan of
Francis Ford Coppola. Just don't expect a whole lot and you will
be entertained for about 78 minutes.
The print on the dvd is flat out lousy; audio dropouts and
often such poor visual quality as to annoy the viewer. But the
price is low and the film is worth adding to your collection.

Rating:
Summary: Coppola's first--a mixed bag
Review: This is not the best horror movies I've ever seen, but one of the best films in terms of *atmosphere*. The frightening parts about it are less in the film itself than what the film suggests--the really psychotic point to which codependency can build, obsession, and a host of other disturbances, none of which involve the supernatural but suggest it. Along with the Vincent Price films he did, this is the best film you'll see that Roger Corman was involved in.

Luana Anders is, ironically, the strongest presence in this film. Thing is, she doesn't last very long, and the viewer isn't all that devastated when she does disappear. A scheming, money hungry witch, she preys on the co-morbidity of an elderly woman to the point of sadism. A young girl dies tragically at a young age. An Irish family living in Nowheresville idealizes her mysterious death to the point of madness. Someone is responsible, and we eventutally find out who. There are a few 'jump out of your seat scenes', one of them being the untimely (and grisly) death of Anders. It's been awhile since I've seen this film, but much of the imagery (dolls, truly 'demented' childhood memories, and the last exclamation by the ultimate culprit: "DON'T TOUCH THAT!") have remained with me. This is an odd blend, Corman and Coppola. A worthwhile old cinematic antique of misery.

Rating:
Summary: WHY DOESN'T AMAZON REQUIRE WIDESCREEN OR FULL FRAME FROM....
Review: WHY DOESN'T AMAZON REQUIRE WIDESCREEN OR FULLFRAME FROM SELLERS DESCRIPTIONS! WHY DOESN'T AMAZON SHOW ACTUAL PHOTO OF DVD BOX COVER AS WELL AS THE BACK OF THE BOX WITH ALL THE TECHNICAL INFO; TIME/FORMAT/SOUND ETC. FOR OUR CONVENIENCE? MAYBE THEY NEED A CHANGE IN MANAGEMENT AND I'M THE ANSWER? AMAZON PLEASE EMAIL WITH FISCAL OFFER, YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!