Dementia 13 (1963)

When her husband John has a heart attack while out in a rowboat on the lake, Louise Haloran throws his body overboard and later tells the family that he has left on an urgent business trip.... See full summary »

Director:

Francis Ford Coppola

Writers:

Francis Ford Coppola, Jack Hill (second unit writer)

Stars:

William Campbell, Luana Anders, Bart Patton

Cast

Complete credited cast:
William Campbell	...	Richard Haloran
Luana Anders	...	Louise Haloran
Bart Patton	...	Billy Haloran
Mary Mitchel	...	Kane
Patrick Magee	...	Justin Caleb
Eithne Dunne	...	Lady Haloran (as Ethne Dunn)
Peter Read	...	John Haloran
Karl Schanzer	...	Simon
Ron Perry	...	Arthur
Derry O'Donavan	...	Lillian
Barbara Dowling	...	Kathleen

Storyline

When her husband John has a heart attack while out in a rowboat on the lake, Louise Haloran throws his body overboard and later tells the family that he has left on an urgent business trip. Her main concern is that she can only inherit a part of the family fortune if if her husband is alive. The Halorans are a strange family, still grieving over the death of the youngest daughter Kathleen who drowned in a pond when she was just a child. They hold an annual ceremony of remembrance every year on the anniversary of her death. This year however, someone is wielding an ax intent on murder.

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Plot Keywords:

pond | heart attack | ceremony | rowboat | irish | 

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Taglines:

You Must Pass the "D-13" Test To Prepare You for the Horrifying Experience of Dementia 13. If You Fail the Test...You Will Be Asked to Leave the Theater!

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 November 1966 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Demencia 13

Filming Locations:

Ardmore Studios, Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmgroup Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color (colorized)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This line in the film: "Especially an American girl. You can tell she's been raised on promises" influenced the Tom Petty song 'American Girl' in which he sings "She was an American Girl, raised on promises."

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Goofs

When Billy and Kane are talking by the pond, Billy mentions that they always hold black umbrellas,but at the funeral Lady Haloran and Billy are holding black umbrellas, but Richard is holding a white umbrella.

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Quotes

Louise Haloran: It's nice to see her enjoying herself for a change. The mood around this place isn't good for her.... Especially an American girl. You can tell she's been raised on promises.

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Connections

Featured in 100 Years of Horror (1996)

User Reviews

Good whodunit/horror flick with twists...

1st watched 5/31/2003 - 6 out of 10(Dir-Francis Coppola): Good whodunit/horror flick with twists around every corner and old-style scary movie feel. This is the first effort from Francis "Ford" Coppola with probably a shoestring budget with producer Roger Corman also involved. What is done well in this movie is the storytelling and the use of sound/music to keep you on the edge-of-your-seat. For 1963, this movie probably was rather shocking because of it's realisticly violent scenes but the core of the movie is the good story. Coppola shows here that his career in film will be promising and it has been. Good for collectors and for just people who like good horror/mystery movies.