My very first video store was called "Hollywood Video" and it was located at the King of Prussia mall. It was a tiny place as home video was still in its infancy. The horror section was about the size of a closet door. I've always been fond of bragging that I watched every horror tape that was available but I realize now that is not true and I have been exaggerating all these years. The truth is that I could never bring myself to watch a film called DEMENTED (1980)!
A major reason for that is because DEMENTED is a rape movie but unlike say, LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT and I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE it doesn't have nearly the reputation to push me into enduring it. In fact, when I worked at a video store years and years later I bought a used copy of DEMENTED for the place and I still never watched it- even for free. I suppose my main reason for resisting mostly involves the photos on the back, particularly one of the rapists wearing ghoulish masks. There's also a photo of the attack in progress with a couple guys wearing stockings on their heads. There is nothing scarier than a stocking on the head. I'm reminded of both THE BOOGEY MAN (1980) and the SALLY STRUTHERS' TV movie A GUN IN THE HOUSE (1981) both of which freaked me out at around the same time.
Another thing that unnerved me about the box for DEMENTED was the fact that it was pink! There's something twisted about using such a bright color in juncture with something horror related. Who would do such a thing? For a while DEMENTED was available on Netflix Streaming but it seems to have disappeared into the ether once again. Maybe that's for the best. Though I have to say, watching the trailer now makes me think that the movie is probably too amateurish to be taken quite so seriously by me. Has my aversion been unwarranted all these years? I sorta love the synth-y soundtrack! In any case, the box still gives me the creeps.
dear god.
it's like some twisted old porno.
Wow. That really looks kinda great – in the twisted old porno kinda way.
The cover makes it look like a remake of CRIMINALLY INSANE (of course, in the remake, Crazy Fat Ethel would be thin) starring Vera from ALICE.
I don't know about you guys, but sometimes the low budget ones are scarier to me than the high budget, big name actors ones. (Though I'm still have some mild bad dreams thanks to The Woman In Black.) Even with bad writing, poor camera work, horrible special effects, and acting that reminds one of a really bad William Shatner impersonation, there's something more realistically disturbing about ones like Demented. I don't think I'd want to see it either.
That box is beautiful!! That's a movie I'd want to own just for the box.
I've never watched this one either… the rape aspect of it puts me off as well.
I agree that the cheap horrors often have a better chance of creeping me out. They're less controlled, less perfect… less clean. Regular looking people in regular looking houses driving regular looking cars. It all seems so much closer to home that way. Even if the monster is ho hum the world the characters live in is often gritty and sad enough to get to me.
i like how she shoots the guy with a shotgun and it looks like he gets blasted with red jello.
No wonder you guys are mentioning old porno movies. That's HARRY REEMS (Deep Throat) playing her husband in the trailer! LOL. Old porno indeed…