Review of Demented

Demented (1980)
2/10
Defective, Deficient, Deplorable etc.
20 July 2002
Warning: Spoilers
**Possible Spoilers Ahead**

You KNOW a film is bad when it's even beneath co-star Harry Reems, who appears here under a pseudonym.

Our heroine, Linda, is gang-raped by four masked hoodlums. They go to the slammer and Linda goes to the sanitarium (or "sanatarium" as the filmmakers choose to spell it) before being released to the care of husband Harry Reems. He's usually out philandering so Linda has lots of time to hallucinate and imagine the rapists are in the house with her. This conveniently coincides with home invasions by four neighborhood youths out to terrorize her. She strikes back, many slow and talky reels of film later. The last half hour, for those who make it that far, features castration via piano wire as well as fun with a meat cleaver and a shotgun. Unfortunately you have to sit through some of the worst screen writing and most inane dialog in the meantime. To be blunt, the only reason I made it through was because Sallee Elyse is so well-stacked. It sure wasn't because of her whiny, high-pitched acting-- though in all fairness, she had plenty of help from a mis-director who allowed her to mispronounce other characters' names and alternately screech like a child and bleat like a sheep.

If you must watch this mess, there's only one way to do it. Turn the sound off, watch the gang rape and then fast-forward to the final 30 minutes. Then trot out your copy of I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE or LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT--now THERE are a couple of "revenge" movies worthy of the name!
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