‘Makes Psycho look like a Sunday school picnic’
Dementia 13 is a 1963 horror thriller film about a series of axe attacks that follow a heart attack at an Irish castle.
The movie was written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola (Bram Stoker’s Dracula; Twixt) and [uncredited] Jack Hill (Blood Bath; Spider Baby). The movie was produced by Roger Corman and stars William Campbell, Patrick Magee and Luana Anders. Also released as The Haunted and the Hunted.
Although Coppola had been involved in at least two naughty films previously, Dementia 13 served as his first mainstream, “legitimate,” directorial effort. It was released in the fall of 1963 by American International Pictures (AIP) on a double-bill with Corman’s X: The Man with X-ray Eyes.
Corman offered Coppola the chance to direct a low-budget horror film in Ireland with funds left over from Corman’s recently completed The Young Racers, on which Coppola had worked as a sound technician. The producer wanted a cheap Psycho copy, complete with gothic atmosphere and brutal killings, and Coppola quickly wrote a screenplay in accordance with Corman’s requirements.
Although he was given total directorial freedom during production, Coppola found himself fighting with Corman after the film was completed. The producer declared the movie unreleasable and demanded several changes be made. Corman eventually brought in another director, Jack Hill, to film additional sequences.
Gary Kurtz, one of Corman’s assistants at the time, recalled, “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 prologue was directed by Monte Hellman (Beast from Haunted Cave). This William Castle-style gimmick also included a “D-13 Test” handout given to theatre patrons that were ostensibly devised by a “medical expert” to weed out psychologically unfit people from viewing the film. The test consisted of such questions as “The most effective way of settling a dispute is with one quick stroke of an axe to your adversary’s head?” and “Have you ever been hospitalized in a locked mental ward, sanitarium, rest home or other facility for the treatment of mental illness?”, with Yes or No as the only possible answers.
Dementia 13 was loosely remade in 2017, although the plot differences are so diverse it’s not unreasonable to assume that the ‘remake’ was just retitled to cash in on Coppola’s cult original.
Plot [contains spoilers]:
One night, while out boating in the middle of a lake, John Haloran and his young wife Louise argue about his rich mother’s will. Louise is upset that everything is currently designated to go to charity in the name of “a mysterious Kathleen.” John tells Louise that if he dies before his mother does, she will be entitled to none of the inheritance. He then promptly drops dead from a massive heart attack.
Thinking quickly, the scheming Louise throws the fresh corpse over the side of the boat, where he comes to rest at the bottom of the lake. Her plan is to pretend that he is still alive, in order to ingratiate her way back into the will. She types up a letter to Lady Haloran, inviting herself to the family’s Irish castle while her husband is “away on business”.
Upon arrival, she immediately notices that things are a little strange in the castle. She observes John’s two brothers, Billy and Richard taking part in a bizarre ceremony with their mother as part of a yearly ritualistic tribute to their youngest sister, Kathleen, who died many years before in a freak drowning accident.
Meanwhile, Lady Haloran still mourns for Kathleen, and during this year’s ceremony, she faints dead away. As Louise helps her into the house, her mother-in-law tells her that she fainted because one of the flowers she had thrown had died as it touched Kathleen’s grave…
“Under the stolid direction of Francis Coppola, who also wrote the script, the picture stresses gore rather than atmosphere and all but buries a fairly workable plot.” The New York Times
“The location (an Irish castle) is used imaginatively, the Gothic atmosphere is suitably potent, and there’s a wonderfully sharp cameo from Patrick Magee…” Tom Raynes, Time Out Film Guide book
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“A skilful piece of small-scale horror, filmed in Ireland which showed Coppola’s skill as a director (before he succumbed to the inflation of big budgets and big subjects) and Corman’s ability to pick embryo talent.” Alan Frank, The Horror Film Handbook
“…Coppola successfully uses cinematic chiaroscuro, delayed-response pacing, stark sound dubs, and cryptic dialogue to create an alluring atmosphere of weirdness and fear […] For me, the highlight was the description of the “who is crazy” nightmare.” David Elroy Goldweber, Claws & Saucers book
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“The horror story is heavily red-herringed and none too credible, and the film doesn’t escape looking a bit of a quickie. But the director, Francis Coppola, has confidently assembled the film and given it a sharp sense of atmosphere.” Films and Filming
Theatrical release:
American International Pictures (AIP) added Dementia 13 as the bottom half of a double-bill with Corman’s X: The Man with the X-ray Eyes
Home viewing release:
The Roan Group released a laserdisc and DVD of the film, both of which included an audio commentary by Campbell. The DVD also featured the written version of the “D-13 Test” in digital form as an extra. However, the filmed five-minute prologue featuring the test has not been included on any of the numerous available home video versions of the title. On April 26, 2011, the film was released in the US on Blu-ray.
Dementia 13 (1963) was released on Blu-ray in the USA by Lionsgate as part of the Vestron Video Collector’s Series on September 21, 2021 (15th November in the UK).
The film is presented in a new director’s cut, remastered in 4K, with Mono DTS-HD Master Audio and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio options. Special features:
Introduction by writer-director Francis Ford Coppola
Audio commentary by writer-director Francis Ford Coppola
Prologue (Dementia 13 test)
Buy Blu-ray: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk
Cast and characters:
William Campbell … Richard Haloran
Luana Anders … Louise Haloran
Patrick Magee … Doctor Justin Caleb
Bart Patton … Billy Haloran
Mary Mitchell … Kane
Eithne Dunne … Lady Haloran
Peter Read … John Haloran
Karl Schnazer … Simon, the poacher
Ron Perry … Arthur
Derry O’Donovan … Lillian, the maid
Barbara Dowling … Kathleen Haloran
Filming locations:
Howth Castle, Howth, Fingal, County Dublin, Ireland (Castle Haloran)
Ardmore Studios, Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland (studio)
Filming dates:
Shooting began on 10th September 1962.
Technical details:
Some prints of the film contain a prologue shot by Monte Hellman in which a psychiatrist gives the audience a test to see if they were stable enough to withstand viewing this film. This prologue was removed from the television versions, reducing the running time from 81 minutes to 74 minutes. Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Director’s Cut’ removes six minutes from the original release, in addition to the prologue. He also re-edited some sequences and restores the original ending, which Roger Corman changed.
Budget:
$40,000 (estimated)
Censorship:
The original British cinema version was cut by BBFC killjoy censors to edit some of the murder scenes, including the decapitation, and various shots of dead bodies. The pointless cuts were restored in all later UK prints.
Trailer:
Full film – free to watch online [1080p Premium HD]:
Full film – free to watch online [1080p HD]:
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