Grade: D+
Synopsis: Axe murders plague a group of mourners at an Irish castle.
Dementia 13 is most notable as one of the first credited directorial efforts from Oscar winning director Francis Ford Coppola.
That said, Coppola shot the film while he was assisting Roger Corman on The Young Racers (1963) and it shows. Dementia 13 plays like a Corman picture, with a few interspersed moments of inspiration.
The cast (borrowed from the Corman picture) is fairly unremarkable, with the exception of Patrick Magee who makes a sizable impression as a somewhat unhinged doctor.
Where Coppola’s film shines though, is where he diverts from the standard Corman formula, such as the excellent underwater scenes. While these moments are rare, the brief 75-minute running time is some compensation.
Bottom Line: Worth watching for Coppola fans as a curiosity, and for Corman fans who should no doubt enjoy it, but others should beware.
