This is a watchable little horror film from young director, Francis Ford Coppola, and while it's very rough and far from great, it's surprisingly watchable considering that it had a minuscule budget.

The film begins with a man and woman in a rowboat. He suffers a fatal heart attack and his wife, inexplicably, tosses him overboard and then goes to visit his family--hoping to ingratiating herself to them and get herself placed in the will. HOWEVER, this really made no sense at all--she couldn't hide his death for very long AND the physics of her tossing his body overboard and it sinking to the bottom are ludicrous. I am a scuba diver and know that bodies--particularly the pudgy type played by the dead husband--are very buoyant and he sank like a rock in the film. This aspect of the movie was NOT well thought-out. He would have probably needed at least 20 pounds worth of weights to get him to sink like this, though his wife uses none.

When the lady arrives at her husband's family's estate in Britain, it is filled with weird folks--her mother-in-law is very nasty and the family seems pretty dysfunctional since the accidental death of her husband's younger sister many years earlier. However, where the film then goes is VERY original and wasn't something I'd predict--offering several clever surprises. I won't say anything more, as it would spoil the film. The only negative is that some of the action and special effects are just dreadful--particularly the silly chopped off head that looks like a mannequin's! Worth seeing but not one to rush out to rent and certainly NOT one to buy. Incidentally, you may recognize William Campbellin the film, as he appeared in a couple episodes of the original Star Trek series. Otherwise, the film is full of mostly second-tier unknown actors.

This is an impressive black and white film in the classic late '50s gimmicky tradition. The poster for this film proclaimed "Are you afraid of death by drowning? Have you ever attempted suicide? Have you ever thought of committing murder? These are some of the questions you will be asked in the unprecedented "D-13 Test" to prepare you for the horrifying experience of DEMENTIA 13. If you fail the test... you will be asked to leave the theatre!" This obvious copying of the "shock" gimmicks used in William Castle's films has nothing to really do with the film, which is an atmospheric thriller sparing little time for laughs (except those of the macabre variety).

Director Francis Ford Coppola creates a very powerful and frightening film by using crisp black and white photography and including strangely surreal images prevalent throughout, such as the moving toys, or the drowning itself. The film is also produced by Roger Corman, which lends it a dubious distinction. The plot is complex and frequently twists, but basically keeps to the murder mystery genre (unknown killer, all the cast come under suspicion). The latter half of the film, which follows the usual (and occasionally tiresome) build up which introduces the characters, contains a string of axe murders which were extremely graphic for their time. So much so that this could be classed as an early 'slasher' film, coming decades before later classics like BLACK Christmas. The music is very memorable and spine chilling, almost like that of HALLOWEEN.

The film also has some horrific images, such as the girl hanging on a hook (shades of THE Texas CHAIN SAW MASSACRE here). There's a gory decapitation, where the victim's head rolls into a pond. The acting is fairly good all round, from Luana Anders as a woman obsessed by greed, to the suspicious brothers. However, the best actor of the lot is Patrick Magee, who shines as the hard, initially unlikable doctor. He puts in a brilliant performance in what is an overlooked film in the genre, rarely seen or talked about, but certainly something of a minor classic. Seek it out if you're interested in seeing an early atmospheric chiller with some true moments of screen horror.

John and his wife Louise Haloran (Luana Anders) have an unpleasant time together rowing a boat. He dies of a heart attack and she dumps his body in the water. She stands to lose everything because of his and his mother's Wills. So she tells everybody that he's away on a business trip. She must take care of his mother-in-law before she dies leaving everything to a charity for her daughter Kathleen dead for 7 years. Louise fakes an invite to the annual family remembrance for Kathleen.

The plot is confusing. The motivation of Louise is barely decipherable. The movie is a bit of a mess. It's disappointing considering that it is both written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola in one of his earlier efforts. Although one must remember that this is a Roger Corman production. He's even copying Psycho in killing off the blonde female lead halfway through the movie. There is an attempt at spooky atmosphere with filming in and around an English manor. It never builds anything close to that. It's mostly a low-budget boring ax-murdering slasher horror. The kills aren't scary but there is some blood-splattering head-rolling fun.