It is amazing how the director can make such a huge difference in a film. Compared to many older films (particularly horror films), this film had a modern feel and it appeared to me that much of what took place in the film (acting, plot, etc.) was executed well. World famous writer and director, Francis Ford Coppola (well-known for the Godfather Trilogy), takes the reins on this film and it is clear that he had a vision for this film and he was going to make sure his vision became a reality. Unlike many older films, Coppola makes a point to jump right into the story rather than slowly build up to it. Some of the first words spoken by Luana Anders’ Louise Haloran is in reference to taking the inheritance that rightfully belongs to her husband and the story simply builds from there. What I was impressed with regarding the story was that there was always something happening. It was unusual for a film during the 1960’s and earlier to lack any sort of downtime. Coppola makes a point to keep the audience engaged and I think that he successfully made this happen. Furthermore, Coppola does something that I have yet to see in a film this old and something that would have probably been considered unacceptable in many circles; Coppola makes the film a bit more risque than it probably needed to be. We see a woman in a bikini and a couple kissing (quite viciously) in bed. While this would not be given a second thought in today’s Hollywood, I feel that Coppola would have possibly set himself up for failure by adding these minor details into the film (I thought it was brave and that it had the potential to pay off in the long run as there certainly would have been an audience privy to seeing this on the big screen). It’s hard to make an accurate statement regarding the lighting of the film due to the fact that it was released into public domain and the quality is not exactly up to par as far as modern standards are concerned. With that being said, it appears that the lighting is dim and eerie throughout the entire film, adding to the suspense and the fright that was already present in the film. I have found since beginning our movie marathon most horror films released before the 1980’s tend to disappoint me; this was not the case with Dementia 13. From beginning to end I was engaged in the story and the characters. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056983/?ref_=tt_trv_cnn
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