# Demon Seed (1977)



## Morning Star (Nov 2, 2004)

*Demon Seed*

Just watched it for the first time last night. My verdict?

Meh.

Just for those that don't know. Demon Seed is based on an early novel of the same name by Dean Koontz. It is about a super computer who holds a woman prisoner in her house with the intention of impregnating her and creating a child so that he may ensure his development and survival.

I enjoyed aspects of it, I always get amused by AI supercomputers commenting on irrational human behaviour, but I found it to be very lacking. There were so many great points where the plot could have picked up, but failed to.

One or two interesting things though, like when Proteus is showing Susan images of the galaxy, his super powerful telescope focuses on a planet with an alien landscape.

Funny though that none of this was recorded into his databanks (as all the boffins were perplexed as to why he focused on that system.) but of course, all questions like that are merely assumed to be answered by "He's a sooperdoopercompooter he can do what he wants and nobody knows! "

There were some great quotes, all by Proteus himself. But the writers also made him contradict himself...I suppose this could have been purposeful to demonstrate his artificial humanity or flawed logic, but I don't know. I mean I just found it odd that he won't assist the company in 'raping the earth' of deep sea metals, as the mining would kill millions of sea creatures, but later says that he will kill as many children as possible to ensure the birth of his offspring.

For me, the most powerful scene was of Joshua, a simple robot that consisted of an arm on a wheelchair, picking himself up after being thrown to the ground by a human. (In self defense)


Basically, if seeing what a computer would look like with an erection is your lifes ambition, then rent this film! Otherwise don't lose any sleep if you miss it.
Anyone else have any comments?


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## Maledoro (Nov 2, 2004)

*Re: Demon Seed*

I saw it on TV when I was a kid. Back then, I was much less discriminating about what makes a movie "good" or "bad". I remember it as being "cool". If I see it again, today, I have no idea how I would respond to it.

Since I'm building up the 1970's corner of my Sci-Fi DVD library, I may seek it out.


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## Morning Star (Nov 2, 2004)

*Re: Demon Seed*

Check it out again! I must stress that I am only stating my opinion. My favourite sci-fi film (Dune) is hated by a lot of people, but I love it. I also grew up watching it though, so that might have a lot to do with it.


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## Maledoro (Nov 2, 2004)

*Re: Demon Seed*

_Dune_ is one of my faves, as well. Not saying that it's a guilty pleasure, but I have a nice collection of cheap, trashy movies that I love and some of my friends have grown to like as well.

Since I've been feeling nostalgic, lately, I've been adding movies that I had seen when I was a kid to my collection.


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## ravenus (Nov 3, 2004)

*Re: Demon Seed*

Excerpt from Richard Sceib's review of Demon's seed:



> Demon Seed (1973) was one of the early novels from Dean R. Koontz. At that point Koontz had not quite emerged as the best-selling horror novelist he is today. The film rights to Demon Seed were picked up by MGM and the director signed on was the idiosyncratic Donald Cammell. Cammell had had a cult hit as co-director of the amazingly weird Performance (1970). Cammell however was a director/writer who almost entirely refused to compromise his artistic vision and, although he wrote a number of other unproduced screenplays, it was not until Demon Seed that he was granted the director’s chair for a second time. As a result of single-minded refusal to compromise, Cammell was only ever granted two other opportunities two direct before his death by self-inflicted gunshot wound in 1996 - the stylistically dazzling psycho-thriller White of the Eye (1986) and the erotic thriller Wild Side (1995). (Indeed studio interference with Wild Side is spoken of as the reason that drove Cammell to suicide). To all accounts the shooting of Demon Seed as not a happy experience for Cammell with the studio recutting the film behind his back.



Read full review here


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## Morning Star (Nov 8, 2004)

*Re: Demon Seed*

I have his site in my favourites, I normally check his opinion out before watching something old school.


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## Wandaful (Apr 4, 2005)

*Re: Demon Seed*

The movie was...............er....... OK.. but the book was great..!!!

Love Koontz........ esp the earlier stuff


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## Dave (Dec 17, 2005)

I'd be interested if anyone has a good word for this one?

I must have see this before but it was just on a cable channel. It was so boring I turned it off after half an hour. I read the plot to see what I missed and well, not a lot really...

Julie Christie is locked up in a very hi-tech house (hi-tech for 1977, now it only looked like the kind Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue, Rory Bremner and Craig David all have) by a super computer called Proteus IV, that is the first to think for itself (built with unspecified organic components.) Proteus no longer wants to do as he is told by the boring humans who I saw in the first half hour of the film, and wants to have a child with Christie. Apparently, the incredibility of the plot only reaches higher levels the longer you watch it.

"I, Proteus, possess the wisdom and ignorance of all men â€“ but I canâ€™t feel the sun on my face. My child will have that privilege."
"Childâ€¦?"
"My child â€“ and yoursâ€¦."

This is probably the best known of the rogue computer films of the late seventies and quite likely also the worst as it is only so well known for the tasteless scene on the bed.


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