Susan is trapped by an intruder but this is no ordinary thug. On his personal website, novelist dean koontz said his publisher didnt like his original title. Donald seton cammell 17 january 1934 24 april 1996 was a scottish painter, screenwriter, and film director. Its stereotypical characters and fuzzy writing rankled on me, and i consequently found myself paying way too much attention to the film s futuristic science. The use of artificial intelligence as an antagonist in cinema has been at the forefront of the public consciousness since h.
Its the unprolific donald performance cammells only studio movie, so its already pushing the boundaries of studio moviemaking with its storyteller. Demon seed, sad to say, falls far more into category a. Demon seed 1977 child psychologist susan harris julie christie lives with her husband, alan fritz weaver, in a home operated by a computer program. Demon seed belongs in a special league of its own, and by league of its own, i mean the exact same league as aberrations like exorcist ii, orca the killer whale, xtro, capricorn one, the manitou, the osterman weekend, saturn 3, many others. Demon seed which puts a uniquely futuristic scifi spin on the horror subgenre of haunted house movies was so ahead of its time when it was released to theaters in 1977, that watching it today it seems more like a prescient warning of what can happen when humans give over too much power to artificial intelligence a. Although the film has aged some it is still amazing to see how on target and prophetic were some of the ideas that it ambitiously addressed when first released. Susan harris is alone in the house when, suddenly, doors lock, windows slam shut and the phone stops working. Demon seed 1977 cast and crew child psychologist susan harris julie christie lives with her husband, alan fritz weaver, in a home operated by a computer program.
Theres no way you can claim demon seed is a classic, or even any good, really, but its. Demon seed is a 1977 american science fictionhorror film directed by donald cammell. Much of this, to be fair, is simply a byproduct of when the film was made. Their house reflects alexs computer dominated work, their abode which is fully automated through a computer system theyve named alfred. He has a cult reputation largely due to his debut film performance, which he wrote the screenplay for and codirected with nicolas roeg. A scientist creates proteusan organic super computer with artificial intelligence which becomes obsessed with human beings, and in particular the creators wife. Pierluigi puccinis rating of the film demon seed pierluigi puccini a scifihorror film in the tradition of cronenberg or polanskis rosemarys baby, but instead of dealing with supernatural forces, it deals with the dangers of technology, how machinery can acquire its own will and start harming its creator in order to trascend their state. The film was based on the novel of the same name by dean koontz, and concerns the imprisonment and forced impregnation of a woman by an artificially intelligent computer. Based on dean koontzs 1973 novel, demon seed was released as film by metrogoldwynmayer in 1977, meeting with mixed reactions from both moviegoers and critics. Demon seed 1977 i remember reading dean koontzs demon seed in the 9th grade, not remotely aware a movie based on the book had been out for 20 years already. Demon seed 1977 artificial intelligence film youtube. Donald cammell biography, movie highlights and photos. Producers herb jaffe producer stevencharles jaffe associate producer as steven.
During the exam walter arrives, but is turned away by proteus which mimics susans voice and appearance on the front door intercom. Julie christie, fritz weaver, gerrit graham, berry kroeger. All good movies demand a cheap knockoff, but demon seed rips off so many films so blatantly its hard to actually identify them all. Demon seed 1977 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. According to the 30 mar 1977 lat, actor robert vaughn, who provided the cool and dispassionate voice of proteus iv, arranged not to have his name listed in the film s credits. For reasons i cant explain, just knowing these films exist, knowing that these filmmakers somehow. A space odyssey, a film which went on to influence scifi phenomenons like the terminator series and the. Dean koontzs demon seed was published in 1973, and then made as a film in 1977. Julie christie is awesome as the hapless wife of a computer scientist who is taken hostage by a selfaware computer which has taken control of the house and wants to procreate great acting, fitting music, good story its all there. Fiction, horror, horror stories, artificial intelligence, fiction in english. Aside from being a showcase for the well preserved christie, this movie treated the viewer to a glimpse of the mentalities against which the populace is. How 1977s demon seed predicted 2018s hightech misogyny. With its far fetched premise, the film had a mixed reaction from both critics and audiences. The demon lover aka devil master 1977 the satanic massacre spoiler.
The exam continues and susan again lapses into unconsciousness. Demon seed 1977 never was a woman violated as profanely never was a woman subject to inhuman love like this never was a woman prepared for a more perverse destiny director donald cammell. Jul 23, 2017 demon seed 1977 leave a reply at the start of the twentyfirst century there were a spate of movies dealing with the idea of accelerated human evolution, triggered through drugs that suddenly increase cerebral capacity limitless, lucy, the uploading of human consciousness to the cloud transcendence, or genetic engineering and. Staring julie christie, berry kroeger, fritz weaver and gerrit graham. Packed with suspense, surprise and special effects, demon seed follows. Excellent story, with a great performance by the terrorized julie christie. Some might consider the film bizarre as it handles aspects of rape and torture with a weird angle of sensitivity, but given every single chance to embrace it the film sidesteps pornography at each and every twisting turn. His psychedelic 1970 psychodrama performance, starring mick jagger, james fox, and michelle breton, remains a cult favorite as is the underrated scifi thriller demon seed 1977, in which a super computer takes over its creators home, seals all exits, and tries taking control of the scientists wife. When donald cammells demon seed debuted in 1977, critics largely. With julie christie, fritz weaver, gerrit graham, berry kroeger.
His psychedelic 1970 psychodrama performance, starring mick jagger, james fox, and michelle breton, remains a cult favorite as is the underrated scifi thriller demon seed 1977, in which a super. The film was based on the novel of the same name by dean koontz. Few horrorscifi movies are as weird and creepy as 1977 s demon seed. Watch demon seed full movie in hd visit movie 18775 a scientist creates proteus, an organic super computer with artificial in. Sep 20, 2011 susan harris is alone in the house when, suddenly, doors lock, windows slam shut and the phone stops working. Im glad i rediscovered this film which i loved as a teen. Alex harris and susan harris are a computer scientist and child psychologist respectively. Performance, completed very few films and ultimately killed himself in 1996. The film opens on alexs last day in the house that will become susans. At the core, demon seed is a ripoff of rosemarys baby and colossus. Demon seed is a 1977 scifihorror film adapted from the novel of the same name by dean koontz, directed by donald cammell and starring julie christie computer scientist alan harris fritz weaver creates proteus iv, an organic supercomputer with humanlevel intelligence. Demon seed 1977 full movie download full hd youtube. Shot by bill butler jaws but in my opinion, one of his least accomplished from that era. A scifihorror film in the tradition of cronenberg or polanskis rosemarys baby, but instead of dealing with supernatural forces, it deals with the dangers of technology, how machinery can.