Demon Seed

"Julie Christie carries the "Demon Seed." Fear for her."

1977 1h 34m EN

😐

5.9

MID

★5.9TMDB · 283

HorrorScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A scientist creates Proteus, an organic supercomputer with artificial intelligence which becomes obsessed with human beings, and in particular the creator's wife.

“Julie Christie carries the "Demon Seed." Fear for her.”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

Julie Christie
Susan Harris
Fritz Weaver
Alex Harris
Gerrit Graham
Walter Gabler
Berry Kroeger
Petrosian
Lisa Lu
Soong Yen
Larry J. Blake
Cameron
John O'Leary
Royce
Alfred Dennis
Mokri

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Donald Cammell
Writers: Roger O. Hirson, Robert Jaffe
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

49 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Donald Cammell, shot by Wilmer Butler. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jerry Fielding. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Frank Mazzola shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Julie Christie and Fritz Weaver and Gerrit Graham carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Julie Christie carries the "Demon Seed." Fear for her.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0075931 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Donald Cammell directs. Wilmer Butler behind the camera. Jerry Fielding scores. Frank Mazzola cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

149 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Donald Cammell, shot by Wilmer Butler. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Jerry Fielding. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Frank Mazzola shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Julie Christie and Fritz Weaver and Gerrit Graham carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Julie Christie carries the "Demon Seed." Fear for her.".
7IMDB entry: tt0075931 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 12 themes, including "man vs machine", "rape", "artificial intelligence (a.i.)", "computer".
9Released under 18 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Wilmer Butler
Original score: Jerry Fielding
Editing: Frank Mazzola
Production design: Edward C. Carfagno
Makeup / hair: Don L. Cash
Runtime: 94 min · 1h 34m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Demon Seed (1977)

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Donald Cammell

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Community reviews

What people are saying

talisencrw2016-07-21
★ 8/10
I had only known of the eccentric, ill-fated director by going through Kenneth Anger's provocative short films collections and seeing Cammell act, early in his career, in Anger's 'Lucifer Rising'. Here, Julie Christie was both gorgeous and eerily convincing in a bizarre hybrid of 'Rosemary's Baby' with sci-fi elements reminiscent of 'Colossus: The Forbin Project'. The unique atmosphere and directorial integrity alone are worth the price of admission here. Well worth both purchasing and re-watching for the cinematically adventurous connoisseurs out there.
Wuchak2020-11-27
★ 6/10
If HAL from “2001: A Space Odyssey” were grounded in Los Angeles Married to a computer scientist (Fritz Weaver), a child psychologist (Julie Christie) finds her home invaded by an autonomous supercomputer named Proteus IV, created by her husband at his futuristic lab in Thousand Oaks. What does it want? "Demon Seed" (1977) is a techno-thriller that mixes “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968) with “Rosemary’s Baby” (1968), "Colossus: The Forbin Project" (1970) and “The Stepford Wives” (1975). Unlike “2001” the story is entirely Earth-bound, but the self-conscious supercomputer with a HAL-like voice, the psychedelic visual interludes and the sound effects are straight out of “2001.” Julie looks great in a challenging role and the cutting edge effects (for that era) hold up. Furthermore, the movie creates a disturbing vibe concerning menacing, out-of-control technology. But the story’s just too one-dimensional with the bulk of it taking place in the couple’s house that Proteus has taken over. The film runs 1 hour, 34 minutes, and was shot in Thousand Oaks & Los Angeles, California. GRADE: B-/C+