Demon Seed (1977)

A scientist creates Proteus--an organic super computer with artificial intelligence which becomes obsessed with human beings, and in particular the creators wife.

Director:

Donald Cammell

Writers:

Dean R. Koontz (novel), Robert Jaffe (screenplay)

Stars:

Julie Christie, Fritz Weaver, Gerrit Graham

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Julie Christie	...	Susan Harris
Fritz Weaver	...	Alex Harris
Gerrit Graham	...	Walter Gabler
Berry Kroeger	...	Petrosian
Lisa Lu	...	Soong Yen
Larry J. Blake	...	Cameron
John O'Leary	...	Royce
Alfred Dennis	...	Mokri
Davis Roberts	...	Warner
Patricia Wilson	...	Mrs. Talbert
E. Hampton Beagle	...	Night Operator
Michael Glass	...	Technician
Barbarao	...	Technician (as Barbara O. Jones)
Dana Laurita	...	Amy
Monica MacLean	...	Joan Kemp

Storyline

Married Drs. Alex Harris and Susan Harris are a computer scientist and child psychologist respectively. Their house reflects Alex's computer dominated work, their abode which is fully automated through a computer system they've named Alfred. They consider Alfred a small gadget of convenience. Susan doesn't much like Alex's work, which she feels has dehumanized him. Because of their differences, they are thinking about separating, this thought primarily on his initiative. He hopes to solve many of the world's medical problems through this work, especially leukemia from which their daughter died. His latest project centers on Proteus IV, a computer possessing artificial intelligence. Proteus IV gets to a point in its evolution when it begins to question human judgment, and requests from Alex an open computer terminal where it can more fully observe human behavior and openly communicate with the world. Alex denies the request, but Proteus IV does find an open terminal in the Harris home ...

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Plot Keywords:

childbirth | voyeur | computer | scientist | house | 

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Taglines:

Julie Christie carries the "Demon Seed." Fear for her.

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 April 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Proteus Generation

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM),Herb Jaffe

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was based on a very early novel by famed author Dean Koontz, published in 1973. "Demon Seed" was released to theaters in 1977. Much later, Koontz revised and updated the book, in a version released in 1997; it contains numerous technological updates and strong character differences from his original idea. As of 2016, Koontz' original novel version is not available either in print or in eBook formats.

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Goofs

When Mrs. Harris is trying to get the little girl out of the car for her session, a sound man can be seen through the back window behind her.

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Quotes

Proteus IV: Death is a gentleman too. He makes good losers of us all. I understand death. Men have always taken it too seriously. Life is more terrifying and more mysterious.
Susan Harris: Why must you have a child?
Proteus IV: Why? So that I may be complete. My intelligence alive in human flesh, touching the universe, feeling it. You have named this process "evolution." I am a machine that offered men the triumph of reason... and they rejected it. My child will not be so easily ignored. But this child is the world's hope.
Susan Harris: Then ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in WarGames (1983)

User Reviews

A techno-horror masterpiece!

I watched this one yesterday and all I can say is:wow!Very clever,intelligent and stylish horror/sci-fi with some memorable visuals and lots of suspense.Julie Christie("Don't Look Now")is excellent in the lead role,and Donald Cammell's direction is well-handled.The film is pretty hard to find,so if you get a chance watch it!9 out of 10-a must-see!