Playlist: Dementia 13

SMC Exclusive: the next sacrifice to The Distillery will be Francis Ford Coppola. So, to prepare I watched what may or may not be counted as his first directorial effort, Dementia 13. I hope we do count it because despite it only being 75 minutes long, I'd hate to have wasted my time for no reason. There's nothing here at all. It's just another schlocky, 1960s Roger Corman-produced sub-B movie, but not one bad enough to enjoy MST3K style. It sets up as a ghost story, but doesn't go anywhere that interesting. Apparently, there was some concern at the time about the gore level, though since it was 1962 you can imagine how lame those fears look now.

The only interesting thing about this other than FFC's involvement is this (and it's a pretty good one):  The line, "The mood around this place isn't good for her. Especially an American girl. You can tell she's been raised on promises," may be the source for the chorus of Tom Petty's great "American Girl." Maybe we'll ask him in a future Contacting Greatness, though he may be a bit out of our league.