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DEMENTIA 13
The Dolby Digital monaural soundtrack has a bit of background noise, but never becomes distorted. Ronald Stein's suitably creepy score is worth amplifying to intensify the motion picture experience. The basic interactive menus provide access to the standard scene selection feature, as well as a couple of extras. Actor William Campbell provides a running audio commentary, which is fun and fact filled. The original theatrical trailer is offered on the DVD, as is the promotional gimmick D-13 Test, used during the film's original release. Production notes and publicity art is also included. DEMENTIA 13 is more horror fun than I ever thought it could be. If you are interested, The Roan Group release is definitely worth taking a look at. |
This DVD review 
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DVD
reviews are Copyright © 2001 THE CINEMA LASER and may not be copied
or reprinted without the written consent of the publisher. |
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Prior
to receiving The Roan Group's DVD release of DEMENTIA 13 ($20),
I never seen the movie. In fact, I just assumed that it was some schlocky
horror movie that a certain noted director made to get one of his first
directorial credits. You know, when I first started watching the movie,
I became rather amused when I started thinking to myself that this horror
quickie was written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola- the man responsible
for THE GODFATHER and APOCALYPSE NOW. However, when you
put things in perspective, DEMENTIA 13 is not a bad little movie,
since it really can't be compared to Coppola's later, greater works. If
nothing else, 1963’s DEMENTIA 13 proved that as a budding filmmaker,
Coppola was a wheeler-dealer who could competently put together a fairly
entertaining movie for virtually no money. But then again, what else would
you expect from somebody who was working under Roger Corman.
Set
in Ireland, DEMENTIA 13 tells the story of the Haloran family,
a somewhat odd and somber clan drawn together to commemorate the death
of little Kathleen, who drowned in the pond on the castle grounds seven
years earlier. Because of her loss, the bereaved Lady Haloran (Ethne Dunn)
plans to give away her fortune to charities, in the name of her beloved
daughter. This plan doesn't sit well with Lady Haloran’s greedy daughter-in-law
Louise (Luana Anders), who plans to do whatever it takes to change the
old lady's mind. The family fortune becomes a moot point, when series
of grisly axe murders befall the Holorans, with the killer's homicidal
spree being driven by his or her obsession with the dead Kathleen. Of
course, the killer's identity remains a mystery throughout the film, and
as with any who-done-it, red herrings abound. Could it be Richard Haloran
(William Campbell), the suffering artist, or is it his brother Billy (Bart
Patton), the sensitive young man, who suffers from nightmares. Then again,
it could be Dr. Justin Caleb (Patrick Magee), the family physician, who
is always hanging around and acting suspicious. Well, if you sit down
to watch the movie, it isn't too hard to guess…
The
Roan Group has done a respectable job with their DVD release of DEMENTIA
13. Although in the public domain, Roan has managed to dig up a fairly
decent 16mm black and white print of DEMENTIA 13. The print displays
modest blemishes and mild scratches, but is otherwise in good shape. DEMENTIA
13 is presented wide screen, at roughly 1.66:1. Additionally, the
DVD is not enhanced for playback on 16:9 displays. The transfer is soft
looking, but it does eke a decent amount of detail out of the film elements.
Sure, DEMENTIA 13 doesn’t look anything like a carefully preserved
studio film, but this movie was made for about forty thousand dollars
in 1963 and couldn't have looked all that fantastic even then. Although
the picture isn’t as detailed as something transferred from pristine 35mm,
you can still see all the pertinent bits. Film grain is also noticeable
in most places, but it is never overbearing. While blacks are adequately
rendered, the darker scenes are murky and really don't register much shadow
detail. Contrast is adequate, and the whites remain stable, which prevent
the image from taking on a blown out appearance. Digital compression artifacts
maintain a low profile. Roan definitely gets an "A" for effort,
but then again, I don't know if any better film elements even exist any
more on this horror cheapie. 