DVD Artwork
Alex Harris, a whiz bang computer engineer, has developed a computer program (Proteus IV) designed to learn and adapt to our world in the hopes of making piles of money in mining the Earth of it’s underwater minerals. Susan Harris, is his neglected wife, and the two decide on a trial separation. She gets their fully automated mansion for three months while they cool off. Proteus IV takes over the mansion via a remote computer terminal and that’s when the trouble starts. Proteus IV adapts to life outside his constricted original box by insisting on producing offspring with Susan—a daunting task for a computer program without a body or a penis, but Proteus IV is more than up to the task.
The plot may sound a little silly, but it’s all handled quite well, and somewhat believably. With the except for one quick computer effect (yes, computer effects in 1977!), the special effects are superb and you’ll be left scratching your head on how some of them were accomplished.
Perhaps it’s not a sign of a good movie (or maybe it is), but I wanted to know how the story would continue. For ninety minutes we get the build up to the main event, and when the event happens…the credits roll. It’s been thirty years since this was filmed; it’s high time for a sequel.
Unlike some older movies, Demon Seed is perhaps more relevant today then when it was filmed and first released. A truly frightening movie on more than one level, and should not be ignored. It’s too bad Warner Home Video gave us nothing except the film itself: no interviews, no behind the scenes, no reminiscing, because it deserved a better DVD fate.
