Dementia 13 (1963) Australian Daybill

Written and directed by Francis Coppola (minus the Ford), this was his first legitimate solo credit, barring Tonight for Sure (1962), a nudie quickie. Made under the radar for $22,000 while Roger Corman was shooting The Young Racers (1963) in Ireland, he got permission to use the sets, crew and actors providing it didn’t clash with Corman’s schedule.

Declared unreleasable when Coppola had finished, AIP brought in second unit director Jack Hill – Spider Baby (1967), The Big Bird Cage (1972), Foxy Brown (1974), Switchblade Sisters (1975). He wrote and directed some additional sequences to tie the film together. The final film is a watery tale of murder, grief and madness, shot very stylishly and – under the circumstances – beautifully lit by Charles Hannawalt, usually a key-grip. Dementia 13 was his only cinematographer credit. Visually it outclasses Corman’s own black and white films of the period. Unreleaseable indeed.

 Aka: The Haunted and the Hunted, Fright Night

Artist: Ray Burns

Condition: VERY FINE / NEAR MINT

Cast: William Campbell – Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964), Luana Anders – Pit and the Pendulum (1961), Easy Rider (1969), That Cold Day in the Park (1969), Patrick Magee, Bart Patton, Mary Mitchel, Ethne Dunn