Bad movies I love: Julie Christie carries the ‘Demon Seed’

DEMON SEED (1977)

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

Aside from “Alien” in 1979 and its first sequel “Aliens” in 1986, the science fiction-horror genre has never produced many memorable box-office hit films – especially during the 1970s.

“Alien” itself was a huge gamble for 20th Century Fox. The film was, essentially, a haunted house film set in deep space featuring a man in a monster suit hunting and killing the crew of a spaceship.

As conventional as the plot was, “Alien” worked magnificently thanks to taut direction, a brilliant production design and one of best horror film scores ever composed.

In an odd way, the same can be said of the little-seen, 1977 sci-fi horror film “Demon Seed.” This strange film, based on the novel of the same name by Dean Koontz, is one of the most bizarre horror films ever made. An artificial intelligence named Proteus IV overtakes the computerized home of its inventor, Dr. Alex Harris, and holds his estranged wife, Susan, captive.

Proteus’ mission is simple: It wants Susan to birth its human child. You read it right: The artificial intelligence wants a woman to give birth to its offspring. I won’t reveal anything else about the plot or the film itself – you simply have to see it and experience it to believe it.

SCENE FROM DEMON SEED

I will say this: As preposterous, far-fetched and insanely bad as the plot is, “Demon Seed” is actually a pretty good, well-made horror thriller. If you are willing to accept the strange plot and if you ignore some of the outdated sci-fi elements, you are in for a nice hour-and-a-half ride.

Julie Christie, who starred with Warren Beatty in “Shampoo” two years earlier, gives a credible, sympathetic performance as Susan Harris. Fritz Weaver does a good job as her husband. And Robert Vaughn, best known as the star of the television series “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” is creepy as the voice of Proteus IV.


But in the end, this is Christie’s show. She is on screen for almost the entire film and succeeds in making the unbelievable believable. Thankfully, Christie found several more respectable acting gigs later in her career, including a starring role opposite Warren Beatty in 1978’s “Heaven Can Wait.”

DEMON SEED (1977)

“Demon Seed” sounds like another in a long line of demonic possession films, and that’s probably why it fared poorly at the box office.

Some critics called it a cautionary tale about the dangers of technology, a kind of high-tech combination of “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “Rosemary’s Baby.”

I, however, wouldn’t go that far. I would never compare “Demon Seed” to Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece or to Roman Polanski’s occult thriller. “Demon Seed” is too odd and too original to be lumped in with other science fiction and horror films.

Director Donald Cammell crafted a unique gem. This is a trashy, ridiculous and outlandish film that is so well directed that it’s worth a look. While Cammell had several opportunities to helm other films, including “RoboCop 2” in 1990, he actually directed one other film, the thriller “White of the Eye” in 1987. Cammell committed suicide in April 1996.

Aside from “Demon Seed,” Cammell’s best-known work may well be his video of “Pride” for U2.

“Demon Seed” is available on DVD for purchase or rental. Click here to buy the DVD from Amazon.com. This film is not available in high definition or for viewing through one of the streaming services.“Demon Seed” is rated R for adult situations.













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