gridoon Review of Demon Seed

Demon Seed (1977)

Offbeat, disturbing, ahead of its time, and thoroughly riveting

[7/10 · 14 February 2002]

This visionary and tense cautionary sci-fi tale brings to mind HAL from 2001, of course, and maybe "Rosemary's Baby", but also later films such as "Altered States" (the psychedelic sequences) and "The Terminator" (the birth of Skynet?). It's economically directed, disturbing, has intelligent dialogue, and will have you glued to your seat. Julie Christie carries it practically single-handedly in front of the camera, and Robert Vaughn, who provides the disembodied voice (both calm and menacing) of the computer Proteus, gives perhaps the finest performance of his career! There are some awesome visuals in this movie - it can also function as a head trip. *** out of 4.