Introduction
By the early 1960’s, 5-time Academy Award winning director Francis Ford Coppola had finished his undergrad at Hofstra University. After Hofstra, Coppola attended UCLA film school, befriending enigmatic young artist, Jim Morrison. While at UCLA, Coppola had helmed a student-made short horror film entitled The Two Christophers. He also wrote the screenplay for a “skin flick” entitled The Peeper.
After some random editing jobs and working on a few more soft-core films to help pay the bills, Coppola was hired by independent film legend Roger Corman. Coppola re-edited a Russian science fiction film for Corman. This was repackaged and re-released as Battle Beyond The Sun. It was yet another sex and violence vehicle made on the cheap.
Corman liked Coppola and hired him to work on several upcoming films as either an assistant director, producer, or sound man. These films included Tower Of London (1962), The Young Racers (1963), and The Terror (1963). It was while working on The Young Racers in Ireland, that the genesis for Dementia 13 was born. While on location, Corman convinced Coppola to come up with a low-budget knockoff of Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960).
Pre-Production
With an extra $20,000 leftover from the production of The Young Racers, Coppola was told to stay behind in Ireland. While there, he would work on the script and production of what would become Dementia 13. This would be Coppola’s first solo feature film, where he was making the decisions and calling the shots. The final script was written by Coppola and Al Locatelli (the film’s art director) in three days. As Coppola would later state:
“…Roger wanted to make Dementia 13 cheaply. He wanted it to be homicidal, sort of a copy of Psycho. You know, gothic and psychological, with some kind of terrible knife-killing scene thrown in. So I wrote the script to order…I was so proud that I made something that vaguely looked like a movie…”
Coppola had $20,000 for the production of Dementia 13 (as well as several cast and crew from The Young Racers). However, it was not enough funding to finish the film. Coppola would have to presell the British rights. This raised an additional $20,000 that was needed to finish the film. During production, Coppola fell in love with his assistant art director, Eleanor. They have been married since 1963.
Filming
Filming on Dementia 13 kicked off in early 1963 in Ireland. Most of the Americans cast in the film had been either students at UCLA or friends of Coppola. They paid their own way to Ireland in order to appear in the film. The Irish actors were locals. With a lot of them appearing on stage at the National Theater of Ireland. Most of the cast and crew lived together in a farmhouse, near Dublin.
Throughout the production, Coppola kept in close touch with Corman via letters and phone calls. the director continued to promise Corman plenty of sex and violence in the finished product. Corman left Coppola alone and as a result, the finished product was distinctly not what Corman had hoped for. The producer demanded several changes be made, which Coppola disagreed with. Corman wanted more violence, more murder.
As a result of the differing opinions and visions between director and producer, veteran exploitation filmmaker Jack Hill was brought on to film some additional sequences in which a beheading takes place. Corman thought the final product was too short and wanted at least another 5 minutes shot. Legendary producer Gary Kurtz (Star Wars), was Corman’s assistant at the time. He stated:
“…So we shot this stupid prologue that had nothing to do with the rest of the film. It was some guy who was supposed to be a psychiatrist, sitting in his office and giving the audience a test to see if they were mentally fit to see the picture. The film was actually released with that prologue…”
The Story
Dementia 13 opens with an apparent husband and wife arguing, while in a rowboat at night. Louise (Luana Anders), wants a divorce from her husband. However, John (Peter Read), states that if they divorce, she will never inherit his mother’s fortune. John dies of a heart attack during the argument, and Louise dumps his body overboard. She forges a letter to his mother, Lady Haloran (Eithne Dunne), stating that John had to leave suddenly on a business trip.
We are soon thrown into the strange and sinister world of the Halorans. They are a family who live in a morbid and dark Irish castle. The family is still grieving the death of Lady Haloran’s youngest child, Kathleen, who drowned several years earlier. With John now dead, that leaves two brothers, Richard (a fantastic William Campbell of Star Trek fame), a manic depressive, and Billy (Bart Patton, who also was assistant director).
Kane (Mary Mitchell) is engaged to Richard but is having difficulty dealing with his manic behavior and constant mood swings. The wedding is, of course, to take place at Castle Haloran. On top of all this, the ghost of Kathleen haunts the family. Every year on the anniversary of her death, they hold a funeral for her. Dr. Caleb (Patrick Magee) advises against this, all the while an ax murderer lurks, ready to strike at any moment.
Review
The original theatrical cut of Dementia 13 came in at 75 minutes. This Director’s Cut is an even shorter 69 minutes. For what it is and how much it cost, it’s a genuinely creepy and scary film. It has a modern Gothic feel that greatly benefits from the Irish locations and filming in bonafide medieval castles. The script has an Italian Giallo feel to it. Also, Dementia 13 is surprisingly bloody and violent for its time.
While Coppola’s debut directorial feature is by no means a masterpiece, he achieves a certain unsettling look that is at times frightening. The director’s use of darkness is effective and right out of the Roger Corman playbook on how to stretch a dollar. The somewhat cheap production design is constantly being shadowed. The similarities to Psycho are evident here, as we have tight closeups of our actors throughout the film.
While watching Dementia 13, one can’t help but notice the seeds being planted for later success with regards to Coppola. The film is unremarkable, yet it is short, never gets too dulled down with speeches, and keeps the 69 minute pace moving. Campbell is, as always acting way over the top, and Patrick Magee’s doctor, while not in the film for very long, is convincing, and creepy.
Director’s Cut
This new “director’s cut” of Dementia 13 is a cut of the film, the way in which Coppola intended it to be, removing Corman’s and Jack Hill’s additional footage. Coppola has a habit of doing this, as evidenced by the re-release of such movies as Apocalypse Now and Godfather Part III. This 4K restoration looks fantastic. It’s still a little bit scratchy in spots, but its a vast improvement over existing releases.
The dark tones of this film are deep and rich and look fantastic on a 4K screen. The whiteness of the exterior scenes are crisp and bright. For a film that is almost 50 years old, it looks stunning. When viewing close-ups, you can see pores and blemishes easily. This is by far the best that Dementia 13 has ever looked. This Blu-ray comes with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track that sounds solid even with the most basic Soundbar.
The Blu-ray disc for Dementia 13 contains an introduction by Francis Ford Coppola, audio commentary by Coppola, and a “prologue” (Dementia 13 Test). Coppola’s introduction is insightful and explains the history of the movie. As well as why he wanted to make a director’s cut. The Director’s Commentary isn’t the most interesting we’ve ever heard, but Coppola dishes out some interesting stuff, plus, we get to be in his head for 69 minutes.
Conclusion
While Dementia 13 is far from the quintessential gothic horror film, it’s a nice start to Coppola’s long and fabled career. The film explores the deep and dark secrets of a dysfunctional family. This is a theme that Coppola would reexamine, successfully, for many years to come.
Dementia 13: Director’s Cut was released by Vestron Video and Lionsgate Home Entertainment on September 21, 2021, and is available in stores everywhere and online. The film is available on Blu-ray HD and 4K digital.
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