Shocked by the death of her spouse, a scheming widow hatches a bold plan to get her hands on the inheritance, unaware that she is targeted by an ax-wielding murderer who lurks in the family’s estate. What mystery shrouds the noble house?
Before making some of the greatest films in history, Francis Ford Coppola made some forgettable ones. In 1963, at just 24 years old, Coppola convinced legendary producer Roger Corman to fund his unfinished script titled “Dementia 13.” Corman helped finish the script and secured a location, an old estate in Ireland that housed a castle.
The story centers on Louise (Luana Anders), looking to scheme her way into her husband John Haloran’s (Peter Read) wealthy family’s inheritance. While out row-boating, John berates Louise, reminding her, “You’ll never get a cent if I die.” Upon overexerting himself, John suffers a heart attack and dies in the boat. After Louise hides his body, she tells his mother, Lady Haloran (Eithne Dunne), that John is away on business. Louise becomes acquainted with his two brothers, Billy and Richard (Bart Patton and William Campbell), and she notices something is not quite right with her in-laws.
When Louise spots Lady Haloran along with her sons Billy and Richard, engaging in a bizarre ceremony on the anniversary of her daughter Kathleen’s death, she concocts a devious plan. Her plan involves convincing Lady Haloran that Kathleen is trying to communicate with her from the afterlife. As the Lady becomes haunted by ghostly relics from her past, an ax-wielding madman begins stalking the grounds.
Featuring slasher-horror and a gothic fairytale aesthetic, “Dementia 13” falls somewhere between Hitchcock’s “Psycho” and Jack Clayton’s “The Innocents.” Although it is inferior to those preceding films, “Dementia 13” is enjoyable enough for an old-school B-movie. Coppola, now 82 years old, has announced plans to make his passion project, “Megalopolis.” Although it’s been decades since he’s made a decent film, I hope for the best.
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