Among the many careers started by the King of Schlock Roger Corman was Francis Ford Coppola’s, whose early effort for Corman, DEMENTIA 13, is getting the restoration treatment for a DVD/Blu-ray combo pack release next month. A quiet B&W mystery about a weirdo family and a series of axe murders, the movie isn’t high art – nor would you expect it to be – but it works in its own low-budget way. (The budget was reportedly $42,000, yet it looks fairly decent thanks to its Ireland backdrop.)
After inadvertently causing her husband’s fatal heart attack, Louise, a scheming young woman (Luana Anders, Easy Rider, The Last Detail, TV’s Santa Barbara), attempts to have herself written into her wealthy mother-in-law’s will.
Forging a letter from her deceased spouse to convince his family he’s away on business, Louise – determined to get into their good graces – pays a surprise visit to the ancestral home in Ireland. With other family members gathered at the foreboding castle, she joins in a morbid ritual to honor Kathleen, her sister-in-law who died mysteriously seven years earlier.
When an axe-wielding lunatic begins murderously stalking the gatherers, her plans are permanently interrupted. But which one is the killer? Is Louise – or one of the other peculiar mourners, each with a dark motive – willing to do anything to gain fortune?
DEMENTIA 13, restored from original 35mm elements, is presented in widescreen with an aspect ratio of 16 x 9 and 5.1 surround sound. Enclosed is a collectible postcard reproduction of the original movie poster. Special features include Spanish subtitles, before-and-after film restoration demo and trailer.
The DVD/Blu-ray combo pack hits on APRIL 26th. Pre-order from Amazon right HERE.
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