Demon Seed (1977)
Genre: Horror / Drama
Duration: 94 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Donald Cammell
Stars: Julie Christie, Fritz Weaver and Gerrit Graham
IMDb score:
6,3 (11.161)
Releasedate: 7 April 1977
Demon Seed plot
"Julie Christie carries the "Demon Seed." Fear for her."
Susan Harris is home alone. Suddenly all the doors lock, the windows slam shut and the phone stops working. Susan is captured in her own home by an intruder. However, it is not an ordinary criminal, but a computer called Proteus. An artificial brain that has learned to think logically. And to exercise terror. Finally, Susan learns what Proteus wants: a child of his own, conceived in her womb and destined to rule.
Actors and actresses
Susan Harris
Alex Harris
Walter Gabler
Petrosian
Soong Yen
Cameron
Royce
Mokri
Warner
Mrs. Talbert
Reviews & comments
mrklm
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- 11629 messages
- 10041 votes
Fascinating film is thematically reminiscent of the middle part of 2001: A Space Odissey, but works on the basic idea that the increasing intelligence of computers will lead to them developing human needs and being truly capable of doing anything to satisfy those needs through the setting in the modernizing world.. Robert Vaughn is perfect as the voice of the organic supercomputer Proteus, developed to function in the service of its designer Alex Harris [Fritz Weaver] and his wife Susan [Julie Harris]. However, when Proteus expresses a desire to reproduce so that his offspring can experience what it is like to be 'human', Susan's life is completely turned upside down.
The idea sounds bizarre, but thanks to the intelligent screenplay Robert Jaffe and Roger O. Hirson, based on the novella of the same name by Dean Koontz, and the excellent direction of Donald Cammell who manages to achieve maximum effect with limited by today's standards, but for that time clever special effects by Tom Fisher. And Christie is on top form in a complex role, she is the heart of the film and ensures that it captivates from start to the chilling end.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Noodless
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- 10053 messages
- 6185 votes
I saw it once when I was 16, but I can't remember much about it to judge the film.
All I remember is that the film failed to make an impression.
So now a review, but unfortunately the film still doesn't stick with me.
The positive points are the charms of the 70s style, the austerity of the cold house and the acting. It's not exciting at all. The bizarre fact is fun in itself, but the effect tends towards the boring side. The ending is just bland. Mediocre movie! 5/10
Translated from Dutch · View original
Shadowed
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- 11421 messages
- 6719 votes
Quite fun.
Demon Seed isn't nearly enough. It was very close to a 3.5*. I've had my eye on this movie since MovieMeter's 2019 horror event, but it only happened recently. I thought it was a pretty fun movie and certainly more fun than I expected.
What this film can mainly benefit from is the character of the computer, which almost single-handedly makes a fun film possible. Robert Vaughn is ideally chosen as the voice of this computer, and comes across as intimidating. I was also very interested in what the computer can and does. The house where a poorly acting Christie is trapped is also a lot of fun in this way.
The horror mainly only appears towards the finale. A large part of the film is simply science fiction that relies on some cool designs and funny effects. It feels like a quite expensive film for a long time, it is only the finale itself that gives away through all the cheese that this film has also hidden some B content. Very dull ending to a nice central piece.
The acting in this film is not great and neither are the characters, but I thought the chemistry between the computer and Christie was well developed. It is not the acting that makes this possible, but the dialogues. Sharp texts supported by some nice images in between. I quite enjoyed it.
Nice movie that I got through easily. The fun ideas in between provide enough food for some entertaining images. Despite the poor acting and the mediocre pace, the film still received a 3.5*. It is the finale itself that I didn't like as much, and the realism of AI that the film could still rely on simply disappears there. A contrarian sequence subtracts 0.5*. Shame.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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