The plot of "Demented" centers around attractive Linda Rodgers,whose life and sanity is destroyed when one day whilst tending to her horses she is horrifically gang raped in the stables by four thugs.She begins having horrific hallucinations about her rapists and finally breaks down and extracts a cruel and violent revenge on four masked youths.The tormented woman dispatches the teenage pranksters with a shotgun,a meat cleaver and in the films show stopping highlight even castrates one using a coil of piano wire.Pretty exploitative rape and revenge flick with plenty of sleaze and incredibly annoying heroine.The performance of Sallee Elyse is utterly horrible and her high pitched voice truly get on my nerves.Overall,"Demented" completely fails to engage the viewers emotionally and is basically worthless.5 out of 10.Only for completists of rape and revenge sub-genre.
28 Reviews
Tacky and tactless revenge flick
drownsoda909 January 2017
Linda Rodgers is gang-raped while tending to her horses at a boarding stable. Disturbed by the brutal attack, Linda's grip on reality becomes increasingly weakened, propelling her into a psychotic break in which she enacts bloody revenge.
This lackluster and tacky "I Spit on Your Grave" knockoff seems to be striving to be a psychological character study, but the script, direction, and performances never really get it to that point. There is little in the way of narrative; the film inexplicably begins virtually in medias res as Linda is raped at a horse stable, and the remainder of the film feels like a series of stitched-together scenes that never propel the plot forward.
Uninventive, dry camera-work leaves the film feeling visually bland, which is another major detraction; the least one could hope for is an at least mildly aesthetically pleasing film, but sadly that is not the case. The performances are far from great, although I don't think they are quite as bad as some may have suggested—by eighties low-budget horror standards, they are more or less average. Sallee Young plays the tortured protagonist and is on and off the mark, playing her psychosis scenes in an exaggerated childlike pose; in spite of its imperfections, her performance is weirdly disturbing. Porn star Harry Reems plays her unfaithful husband and is somewhat memorable, while a series of unknown actors play her thug rapists. The conclusion is considerably disturbing, though it also plods along at the same pace as the rest of the picture.
Overall, "Demented" is a cheap and tacky effort, and an obvious attempt to capitalize on the rape-and-revenge popularity after "I Spit on Your Grave." It's a technical hodgepodge, marred by lazy cinematography and a weak, single-note script. That said, Young's performance is notably twisted, and the film does attain a dreary and disconcerting atmosphere. It's not a gem, but it's also not quite as terrible as some may lead you to believe. 4/10.
This lackluster and tacky "I Spit on Your Grave" knockoff seems to be striving to be a psychological character study, but the script, direction, and performances never really get it to that point. There is little in the way of narrative; the film inexplicably begins virtually in medias res as Linda is raped at a horse stable, and the remainder of the film feels like a series of stitched-together scenes that never propel the plot forward.
Uninventive, dry camera-work leaves the film feeling visually bland, which is another major detraction; the least one could hope for is an at least mildly aesthetically pleasing film, but sadly that is not the case. The performances are far from great, although I don't think they are quite as bad as some may have suggested—by eighties low-budget horror standards, they are more or less average. Sallee Young plays the tortured protagonist and is on and off the mark, playing her psychosis scenes in an exaggerated childlike pose; in spite of its imperfections, her performance is weirdly disturbing. Porn star Harry Reems plays her unfaithful husband and is somewhat memorable, while a series of unknown actors play her thug rapists. The conclusion is considerably disturbing, though it also plods along at the same pace as the rest of the picture.
Overall, "Demented" is a cheap and tacky effort, and an obvious attempt to capitalize on the rape-and-revenge popularity after "I Spit on Your Grave." It's a technical hodgepodge, marred by lazy cinematography and a weak, single-note script. That said, Young's performance is notably twisted, and the film does attain a dreary and disconcerting atmosphere. It's not a gem, but it's also not quite as terrible as some may lead you to believe. 4/10.
Not quite demented enough.
BA_Harrison20 March 2013
Demented opens with a bang—or to be more accurate, a gang bang—with a harsh pre-credits sequence that sees doctor's wife Linda Rodgers (Sallee Elyse) being attacked by four men wearing stocking masks, vicious sex beasts who rip open her blouse, pull off her panties, and proceed to pass her around like candy. It's a powerful, no-nonsense opener, one that successfully drives home the true horror of rape. After that, one is really rooting for the gal to get revenge, which she does. Sort of...
After a brief spell in a sanatorium, Linda returns home but clearly isn't over her ordeal, suffering from nightmarish visions and panic attacks. Frequently left on her own at night by her unfaithful husband Dr. Matt (Harry Reems, best known for his XXX porn/roughie movies), who has been saving his best bedside manner for aspiring actress Carol (Kathryn Clayton), Linda's grip on reality begins to slip, and when a gang of teens play a cruel prank on her in her home, she confuses them for her rapists and makes for the nearest meat cleaver.
A rather obscure rape/revenge tale, Demented starts strongly and has all the ingredients for a sleazy exploitation classic but fails for two reasons: a) big breasted star Sallee Elyse obviously wasn't hired for her acting ability, and her awful acting and shrill delivery seriously grate on the nerves, and b) the ending is undeniably nasty in tone (Linda whips one poor boy's wedding tackle off with a wire), but isn't anywhere near as graphic as it could have been (the aforementioned meat-and-two-veg/wire incident is completely bloodless) and ultimately proves disappointing.
After a brief spell in a sanatorium, Linda returns home but clearly isn't over her ordeal, suffering from nightmarish visions and panic attacks. Frequently left on her own at night by her unfaithful husband Dr. Matt (Harry Reems, best known for his XXX porn/roughie movies), who has been saving his best bedside manner for aspiring actress Carol (Kathryn Clayton), Linda's grip on reality begins to slip, and when a gang of teens play a cruel prank on her in her home, she confuses them for her rapists and makes for the nearest meat cleaver.
A rather obscure rape/revenge tale, Demented starts strongly and has all the ingredients for a sleazy exploitation classic but fails for two reasons: a) big breasted star Sallee Elyse obviously wasn't hired for her acting ability, and her awful acting and shrill delivery seriously grate on the nerves, and b) the ending is undeniably nasty in tone (Linda whips one poor boy's wedding tackle off with a wire), but isn't anywhere near as graphic as it could have been (the aforementioned meat-and-two-veg/wire incident is completely bloodless) and ultimately proves disappointing.
Ow ow ow
ofumalow5 October 2013
This is one of those movies that's so bad it's just bad--too plodding, amateurish, gore-free etc. etc. to really be any fun--but it still has some qualities so atrocious they're worth a look, preferably if you're watching with a heavy finger on the fast-forward.
The main thing is the main "actress," who is so awful you can't imagine what they were thinking in casting her. She has a vocal range that goes from screetch to mousy squeak to whine--she'd be ideally cast as a disembodied voice used to drive someone crazy simply because it's SOOOOO annoying. Her (presumably in-character) personality is allowed to be almost equally off-putting; it's amazing how little sympathy we feel for a woman on thin mental ice after being gang-raped, because as played "Linda" is alternately clingy and tantrum-throwing when she's not just running around screaming.
Frankly, I kind of assumed all the actors here were moonlighting porn performers, because male lead Harry Reems (working under a pseudonym) is one; but it turns out the other actors I looked up on IMDb don't even have that excuse for giving less-than-pro-level performances. (In fact Reems embarrasses himself marginally less than anyone else here.) Some of the dialogue just seems arbitrary, as if they were trying to pad the runtime with more yakking to cover up the fact that the violence is so poorly and non-graphically handled.
There's very little logic at work: we never find out how the original rapists got caught, or who they were--let alone SPOILER!--why the nice neighborhood kids who later menace Linda would think scaring a recently gang-raped woman would be a harmless "joke." (Or how at the end Linda figures out something her husband has kept secret.) It's all monumentally dumb, though a slicker and more energetic film would have been required to actually make this an ENJOYABLE ridiculous/bad movie.
Nevertheless, I'll probably never forget lead Sallee Young's performance. Though believe me, I will try. You might want to check five minutes or so of her on YouTube (any scene where she's screaming/menaced is best) just to hear that fingernails-on-chalkboard voice. Funnily enough, it seems her only other substantial role was also as "Linda" in another almost unwatchably bad early 80s horror film, "Home Sweet Home" with "Body by Jake" Steinfeld giving an almost equally ludicrous performance as a crazed killer.
The main thing is the main "actress," who is so awful you can't imagine what they were thinking in casting her. She has a vocal range that goes from screetch to mousy squeak to whine--she'd be ideally cast as a disembodied voice used to drive someone crazy simply because it's SOOOOO annoying. Her (presumably in-character) personality is allowed to be almost equally off-putting; it's amazing how little sympathy we feel for a woman on thin mental ice after being gang-raped, because as played "Linda" is alternately clingy and tantrum-throwing when she's not just running around screaming.
Frankly, I kind of assumed all the actors here were moonlighting porn performers, because male lead Harry Reems (working under a pseudonym) is one; but it turns out the other actors I looked up on IMDb don't even have that excuse for giving less-than-pro-level performances. (In fact Reems embarrasses himself marginally less than anyone else here.) Some of the dialogue just seems arbitrary, as if they were trying to pad the runtime with more yakking to cover up the fact that the violence is so poorly and non-graphically handled.
There's very little logic at work: we never find out how the original rapists got caught, or who they were--let alone SPOILER!--why the nice neighborhood kids who later menace Linda would think scaring a recently gang-raped woman would be a harmless "joke." (Or how at the end Linda figures out something her husband has kept secret.) It's all monumentally dumb, though a slicker and more energetic film would have been required to actually make this an ENJOYABLE ridiculous/bad movie.
Nevertheless, I'll probably never forget lead Sallee Young's performance. Though believe me, I will try. You might want to check five minutes or so of her on YouTube (any scene where she's screaming/menaced is best) just to hear that fingernails-on-chalkboard voice. Funnily enough, it seems her only other substantial role was also as "Linda" in another almost unwatchably bad early 80s horror film, "Home Sweet Home" with "Body by Jake" Steinfeld giving an almost equally ludicrous performance as a crazed killer.
A really boring movie
Wizard-826 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Normally I give out a cheer when a movie - any movie - gets released on the Blu-ray format , especially if it's been next to impossible to see for many previous years. But with "Demented", that cheer is a pretty feeble one. Why Shout Factory took it upon themselves to dig up this obscurity is beyond me. Though the description of the movie might make it sound like it's pleasingly sleazy and exploitive, for the most part it isn't. Instead, most of the running time is devoted to dull conversations and the somewhat uncomfortable sight of a woman suffering from a past trauma slowly start losing her marbles. Some people might hang on to the inevitable scene where the woman snaps, but is it worth the wait? No. The now demented woman goes on a very slow rampage that has little more energy than the first hour of the movie. Apart from the sight of seeing legendary porn star Harry Reems in a legitimate production, there's really nothing here to engage an audience. If you are still curious about the movie despite what I've just said, I'd advise you to watch the trailer for the movie, which is on the Blu-ray - it manages to condense the entire movie from start to finish in just three minutes, which is a heck of a lot better than watching the complete 92 minute film itself.
Slightly demented ... But mainly dreadful.
Coventry8 November 2006
Well, at least this movie doesn't wast too much time on boring introductions or overlong mood-settings. The opening shows a woman caressing her favorite horse for only a brief moment, and the very next second she's assaulted by four sleazebags with stockings over their heads and gang-raped in the stable. This scene is rather short and unclear to watch, yet also rather unsettling because these guys just 'come & go' without even bothering to take their disguise off. A certain period of time later, Linda is released from the mental hospital but definitely not cured yet. Her unfaithful husband (Harry Reems the porn king) is spending most of his time with his mistress and Linda slowly goes...well...demented! When a new gang of thugs attempts to rape her, she snaps for good. "Demented" is a typical rip off of Wes Craven's "Last House on the Left" but tries to add a (lame) psychological theme. Linda avenges herself and cuts up people with a meat clever, only supposedly she's in a totally different state of mind. Whatever. It's a really lame movie, with only a few suspenseful moments and a disappointingly low amount of gore and sleaze. There's the obligatory castration-sequence thank you "I Spit on your Grave" but you can hardly make out what's happening. Sallee Young and Kathryn Clayton are ravishing ladies, but not exactly great actresses. Give "Demented" a miss and aim for one of the thousand other underrated rape & revenge films out there, like "Last House on the Beach", "Night Train Murders", "House on the Edge of the Park" or "Fight for your Life".
The only film I've ever seen that receives an IMDB rating of 1!
Casey-5230 April 2000
"Demented" is the undisputed champion of bad movies! And I've seen plenty of them! At least all the bad movies I've seen have some sort of low-grade cheap entertainment value. "Demented" does not! The back of the video box makes it sound much better than it actually is, take it from me, this movie is painful!
The lead actress, Sallee Elysse, challenges only Chesty Morgan and Connie Mason when it comes to bad acting! Whose girlfriend was she? The producer? The screenwriter? No casting director in their right mind would cast her unless she was somebody's girlfriend. The one redeeming value of her performance: she improves a bit when she loses her mind, but that bit is about the size of a breadcrumb. Then, she does flash her chest a lot and that makes up a bit for her ineptitude. The only actor worth noting is Harry Reems (billed here as Bruce Gilchrist), who is good as usual. I had a feeling it was him because of his famous handlebars moustache and it seems weird seeing him involved in simulated sex with his mistress when he can be seen performing hardcore sex in earlier films!
"Demented" borrows liberally from "Last House on the Left", "I Spit On Your Grave", and "Mother's Day". Of course, it has none of the power or "finesse" of those films. The acting is horrible (save Harry Reems/Bruce Gilchrist), none of the plot is very believable and Elysse makes for an annoying rape victim. All she does in her character portrayal is whine about being raped, go crazy and bitch, and cry in a high-pitched whine that has no rival on the annoying scale! Do not even rent this out of curiosity, please just avoid it at all costs! "Demented" deserves to be burnt, blown up, ripped apart by a pack of dogs, I think I've made my point.
The lead actress, Sallee Elysse, challenges only Chesty Morgan and Connie Mason when it comes to bad acting! Whose girlfriend was she? The producer? The screenwriter? No casting director in their right mind would cast her unless she was somebody's girlfriend. The one redeeming value of her performance: she improves a bit when she loses her mind, but that bit is about the size of a breadcrumb. Then, she does flash her chest a lot and that makes up a bit for her ineptitude. The only actor worth noting is Harry Reems (billed here as Bruce Gilchrist), who is good as usual. I had a feeling it was him because of his famous handlebars moustache and it seems weird seeing him involved in simulated sex with his mistress when he can be seen performing hardcore sex in earlier films!
"Demented" borrows liberally from "Last House on the Left", "I Spit On Your Grave", and "Mother's Day". Of course, it has none of the power or "finesse" of those films. The acting is horrible (save Harry Reems/Bruce Gilchrist), none of the plot is very believable and Elysse makes for an annoying rape victim. All she does in her character portrayal is whine about being raped, go crazy and bitch, and cry in a high-pitched whine that has no rival on the annoying scale! Do not even rent this out of curiosity, please just avoid it at all costs! "Demented" deserves to be burnt, blown up, ripped apart by a pack of dogs, I think I've made my point.
hoo boy!
jivinmutt7 August 2005
Sallee Elyse was (IS?) an attractive woman with fantastic breasts and zero acting ability. This "movie" is absurd, horrible, et al. It's sick and repulsive to watch her getting raped/mauled by punks wearing panty hose over their heads. Sad movie for several reasons:
1) The movie is a waste of celluloid. Period. No real plot. Just a scene in the beginning to enrage/arouse feelings. If her nudity in the movie were a scene with her on screen husband, I'd have enjoyed looking at her fine rack more. As it is..
2) Sad to see a woman go to pieces b/c of a violent attack. Shows the real aspects of rape. NO FUN.
3) No real actors. Sad to see the "actors" in this one fumbling through their lines.
Don't really waste time viewing this, unless you are masochistic.
Sallee's nice boobs aren't worth it.
1) The movie is a waste of celluloid. Period. No real plot. Just a scene in the beginning to enrage/arouse feelings. If her nudity in the movie were a scene with her on screen husband, I'd have enjoyed looking at her fine rack more. As it is..
2) Sad to see a woman go to pieces b/c of a violent attack. Shows the real aspects of rape. NO FUN.
3) No real actors. Sad to see the "actors" in this one fumbling through their lines.
Don't really waste time viewing this, unless you are masochistic.
Sallee's nice boobs aren't worth it.
I don't like anything smelly....
thoms_shane-131 January 2007
Warning: Spoilers
As the many other reviews have stated...this is a bad movie....really bad. However, it's become a personal cult classic favourite and stands proud in my B Grade VHS horror movie collection. I used to take this movie (and still do) to friends houses to play jokes on them. I would tell them that I rented an awesome movie thats so intensely moving and brilliant that you just have to see it....after 5 minutes of play time....the reactions from my agonised friends would put me on the floor in a state of orgasmic laughter. There's some classic dialogue in this film...."I don't like bad food...especially meat IT STINKS....I don't like anything smelly" and...."Were you raped last week, last moth, last year...WERE YOU EVER RAPED". Also some hilariously bad camera work...perhaps best noted during the dinner scene (by the way....is that Kate Bush playing Linda's sister Annie ? - I seriously doubt it...but the similarity is scary !). Sallee Elyses voice is shockingly high pitched and annoying and Bruce Gilchrist should have stayed in the porn industry !!!!.....Watch only for a joke cos its so bad that its hilarious.
She Just Wanted to be Alone....
Falconeer13 October 2019
I'm sorry to say it, but those zombies who gave THIS film bad reviews, should never be allowed to watch another horror movie again. "Demented" is an absolutely BRILLIANT satire on the rape/revenge genre that was so popular at the time. Anyone who thinks the "bad qualities" within this film aren't intentional, just don't get it. Imagine all the aspects of the typical rape film amped up and exaggerated to insane proportions. Rape victim Sallee Elyse (a sexy Melanie Griffith clone) isn't merely an "innocent victim," she's literally an EMOTIONALLY CRIPPLED BABY, who whines and pouts and presents herself as the ultimate victim, the caricature of a woman who is totally helpless and unable to care for herself. Her husband Matt (Reems) isn't merely a cheating husband; he's the biggest, most disgusting DIRT BAG of all time, another extreme caricature of a bad guy. Likewise, his mistress is a hilarious caricature of the gold digging mistress, who asks ol' Harry "how much money did you make last year?" two seconds after he ejaculates inside her. The neighborhood boys likewise are complete animals who cat-call our rape heroine and stick their tongues out at her, abusing her because they know she was raped and they want to get a reaction out of her....which they do, in the film's final act.
The first hour of this movie had me rolling on the floor in hysterics, but then it turns serious and the climax really sneaks up on someone who expects this to be a one note film. It stops being funny, and becomes rather twisted, and even a bit sad, as she turns the tables on a group of kids who don't really deserve what happens to them. "Demented" most certainly does not rip off movies like "Last House On the Left..." it parodies them; and the fact that so many horror fans don't get that is a bit depressing. It seems like today's audiences have become accustomed to being spoon fed everything by the rot that passes for "horror films" these days. I must mention the sheer brilliance of casting Adult Film Icon Harry Reems in this. It's no coincidence, and it's a stroke of genius that makes this oddity even more hysterical and fascinating to behold. I always liked Reems, a talented guy who had a definite sense of humor about himself and the adult film industry. He's always good. Many thanks to Shout Factory for digging up the original print of this gem and restoring it to perfection. The widescreen print is absolutely pristine. Reading the negative reviews irritated me so much that I had to jump on here and come to the defense of this cult classic. Enough abuse has been plied on top of poor Sallee Elyse...a woman who just wanted to be alone...
Gives bad movies a bad name
alicespiral1 January 2006
A home movie masquerading as a video film and one which gives bad movies a bad name. I had this given so I didn't waste any money on renting it.I only made it to the end because I was curious to how much worse it could get. The rapists weren't the same one who were the neighbourhood youths so it was not even as if the woman got her revenge on the right people. The acting was no more than you could expect if you brought in people from the street,stuck cue cards in front of them and took it from there. Why do they make these kind of movies which copy ideas from others and copy them badly? This one doesn't even make it as comedy. The storyline is the most hackneyed in the world of horror with not one original line.A woman is gang raped,the rapists are in jail-though after the rape you never saw them again-the husband is having an affair,the wife is having nightmares.Nothing that doesn't happen in real life. The lines are pathetic: "please don't don't do this oh don't PLEASE...." Screams that are totally unconvincing,as if she's just seen a mouse.
Truly Underrated Genre Film
gsm1usn13 February 2005
Have always enjoyed this film - even though it may well have its flaws. Has there ever been an actress that exuded the raw sex appeal (with the possible exception of Dyanne Thorne) of Sallee Elyse? Unbelievable lady, just fantastic. A shame she only appeared in one other film. Not nearly as well-known as "I Spit on Your Grave", but a definite equal, in my opinion. Most hate this movie but I've spent many years trying to find it for sale. The few that are out there are in horrible condition or bootlegs. Was fortunate enough to locate a copy on eBay recently, although still not a factory original. Anyone else out there enjoy it as well?
Why DO they call it a "period"? Why not a "comma"?
Hey_Sweden6 June 2020
Written and co-executive produced by actor Alex Rebar (a.k.a. The Incredible Melting Man), "Demented" is not some long-lost gem of horror & exploitation. In fact, it may not be as exploitative, or gory, as some people might like. It's not bad at all, but the viewer does have to sit through a fair amount of set-up before the climactic "revenge", taking up the last half hour.
They also have to endure a lead performance by Sallee Young that is kind of grating, and not as sympathetic as it should be. She gets better towards the end, when she becomes demented, and plays up her sexuality in order to entice those whom she would like to destroy.
Young plays Linda Rodgers, a young housewife who is raped in the opening minutes by four disgusting creeps in a horse stable. Although we learn that these men were caught and ultimately jailed, Linda is having a real tough time dealing with the trauma. Nobody knows this better than her husband Matt (porn star Harry Reems, acting under a pseudonym), who wants to be sensitive to her plight but who won't stop seeing a lover (Kathryn Clayton) whenever he gets the chance. One fateful night, four neighbourhood boys try to "have some fun" with her, not necessarily meaning any harm, but in her fragile state of mind, she confuses them with the men who actually raped her, and some graphic mayhem is soon to follow.
"Demented" *is* fairly enjoyable, overall, with that final third proving to be worth the wait. One can't help but feel a little bad for most of those boys. One of them gets especially prolonged punishment.
Rebars' script is variable: some of the lines are dumb enough to be funny, and some of them are just plain bad. The supporting performances are basically adequate, with Reems coming off as moderately likeable even if his character is an adulterer. We can see that he's not a completely bad guy.
Although this was technically never an official "Video Nasty", it was included on the compilation tape that Mary Whitehouse would show to the Conservative party for their 1984 conference. When it debuted on tape in Britain, one minute and 19 seconds of cuts were made.
If the viewer is a follower of the rape-revenge genre, they'll probably find this one to be a reasonably watchable shocker.
Six out of 10.
They also have to endure a lead performance by Sallee Young that is kind of grating, and not as sympathetic as it should be. She gets better towards the end, when she becomes demented, and plays up her sexuality in order to entice those whom she would like to destroy.
Young plays Linda Rodgers, a young housewife who is raped in the opening minutes by four disgusting creeps in a horse stable. Although we learn that these men were caught and ultimately jailed, Linda is having a real tough time dealing with the trauma. Nobody knows this better than her husband Matt (porn star Harry Reems, acting under a pseudonym), who wants to be sensitive to her plight but who won't stop seeing a lover (Kathryn Clayton) whenever he gets the chance. One fateful night, four neighbourhood boys try to "have some fun" with her, not necessarily meaning any harm, but in her fragile state of mind, she confuses them with the men who actually raped her, and some graphic mayhem is soon to follow.
"Demented" *is* fairly enjoyable, overall, with that final third proving to be worth the wait. One can't help but feel a little bad for most of those boys. One of them gets especially prolonged punishment.
Rebars' script is variable: some of the lines are dumb enough to be funny, and some of them are just plain bad. The supporting performances are basically adequate, with Reems coming off as moderately likeable even if his character is an adulterer. We can see that he's not a completely bad guy.
Although this was technically never an official "Video Nasty", it was included on the compilation tape that Mary Whitehouse would show to the Conservative party for their 1984 conference. When it debuted on tape in Britain, one minute and 19 seconds of cuts were made.
If the viewer is a follower of the rape-revenge genre, they'll probably find this one to be a reasonably watchable shocker.
Six out of 10.
"Why Don't You Just Drop Dead!"...
azathothpwiggins27 July 2021
DEMENTED is a preposterous, rather dull "thriller".
Linda Rodgers (Sallee Young) returns home after years in a mental institution, trying to recover from a gang rape. Readjusting to her marriage is difficult, due to her damaged emotions and flashbacks. Her husband (Harry Reems) is no help, since he's busy sneaking off to be with his mistress.
Poor Linda soon finds herself dealing with a whole new group of vicious perverts! She begins to mentally unravel. We know this because her whiny, warbling voice rises to ear-melting levels. Every time Linda gets worked up she sounds like a cross between a bratty 5 year old and a tornado siren! It goes right through your head like a drill!
Linda's attackers are -almost- as annoying as she is. Their deaths, though arriving too late to salvage this movie, do provide some relief.
Linda's final descent into madness is fairly believable, and is the best part of the movie. If only she'd been this good during the first two-thirds!
Special mention goes to Bryan Charles as Linda's gun-toting doctor. He's the only person who seems to care about her, and is also immune to her incessant shrieking that would turn lesser brains into guacamole!...
Linda Rodgers (Sallee Young) returns home after years in a mental institution, trying to recover from a gang rape. Readjusting to her marriage is difficult, due to her damaged emotions and flashbacks. Her husband (Harry Reems) is no help, since he's busy sneaking off to be with his mistress.
Poor Linda soon finds herself dealing with a whole new group of vicious perverts! She begins to mentally unravel. We know this because her whiny, warbling voice rises to ear-melting levels. Every time Linda gets worked up she sounds like a cross between a bratty 5 year old and a tornado siren! It goes right through your head like a drill!
Linda's attackers are -almost- as annoying as she is. Their deaths, though arriving too late to salvage this movie, do provide some relief.
Linda's final descent into madness is fairly believable, and is the best part of the movie. If only she'd been this good during the first two-thirds!
Special mention goes to Bryan Charles as Linda's gun-toting doctor. He's the only person who seems to care about her, and is also immune to her incessant shrieking that would turn lesser brains into guacamole!...
This movie was not too bad. but not for everyone
slambadger27 March 2011
Warning: Spoilers
I will start off by saying this film is not for everyone. Let's start with the ugly, and that is the acting. Although the main actress was a gorgeous woman her acting chops didn't seem to have the proper emotional punch it should have when it comes to dealing with such a horrific event. It would meander from a dazed ham handed joke about being raped to a child like squeaky 'I'm lonely and I don't want to hurt anymore' For the first half of the movie you wonder where its going because every scene seems strikingly the same as the last.
UNTIL...AND HERE COME THE GOOD AND THE SPOILERS!!!!! She gets attacked by some punks one night in her home and really goes off the deep end. I mean its sadistic and cruel but so very pleasing to see some of this trash get whats coming to them. Like a mad scientist done in with their own creation, these jerks get mutilated one at a time! I mean its creepy and ugly, but for my money, I say 'hell yeah'. Really the last third of the film saves it for me because I really wasn't enjoying the monotony of the acting or the situations. I do not recommend this to anyone who has a weak stomach or DOES NOT HAVE a sick sense of irony.
UNTIL...AND HERE COME THE GOOD AND THE SPOILERS!!!!! She gets attacked by some punks one night in her home and really goes off the deep end. I mean its sadistic and cruel but so very pleasing to see some of this trash get whats coming to them. Like a mad scientist done in with their own creation, these jerks get mutilated one at a time! I mean its creepy and ugly, but for my money, I say 'hell yeah'. Really the last third of the film saves it for me because I really wasn't enjoying the monotony of the acting or the situations. I do not recommend this to anyone who has a weak stomach or DOES NOT HAVE a sick sense of irony.
Defective, Deficient, Deplorable etc.
Flixer195720 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!
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!
You'll Be Demented To Watch This - B.A.F. 1-2-Miss
P3n-E-W1s328 August 2021
Greetings and salutations; welcome to my review of Demented 1980
The story gets a 1 out of 2: The Direction and Pace receive a 1.5 out of 4: The Acting gets a 0.75 out of 2: And, my Enjoyment level hits a 0.25 out of 2:
Giving Demented a maddening 3.5 out of 10:
I say maddening because the premise for this story remains a splendid one. It's a shame the director, writer, and leading lady weren't up to par.
It would have made a thought-provoking and darkly entertaining movie. Regrettably, the writer, Alex Rebar, lacked the skill to structure the story, and script authentic characters and situations. Due to their failings, we get lots of uninteresting dead space with unrelatable characters speaking dire dialogue. What the audience is expecting is a breakdown of a woman's mental health into madness. But what we receive is far less absorbing. Instead of feeling sorrow and pity for Linda Rodgers, who has suffered through a brutal gang rape, I felt anger at her whiny voice and ridiculous outlook on life.
The most destructive element of the film is Linda's (Sallee Young) voice. Her shrillness and churlishness are more irritating than nails on a blackboard. It's a bummer because Young isn't too bad in insane killer mode. But you will have to suffer many aural discomforts to reach these scenes. I came close to hitting that beautifully quiet off button. Alternately, I muted the annoying lady to a whisper.
Add to this a lacklustre direction and a sluggish pace, and you produce a tediously annoying film. And though there are a few scenes in which Arthur Jeffreys structures and lights them perfectly, they are sadly not enough to make this picture worth watching.
If you're looking for a psychological chiller killer of a flick, then this is not for you. I would suggest that should you get a chance to watch this movie opt to watch paint dry instead. Much less irritating.
Come on over to my Chiller Thriller Killers, and The Game Is Afoot to see where the Demented one resides in my charts.
Take Care & Stay Well.
The story gets a 1 out of 2: The Direction and Pace receive a 1.5 out of 4: The Acting gets a 0.75 out of 2: And, my Enjoyment level hits a 0.25 out of 2:
Giving Demented a maddening 3.5 out of 10:
I say maddening because the premise for this story remains a splendid one. It's a shame the director, writer, and leading lady weren't up to par.
It would have made a thought-provoking and darkly entertaining movie. Regrettably, the writer, Alex Rebar, lacked the skill to structure the story, and script authentic characters and situations. Due to their failings, we get lots of uninteresting dead space with unrelatable characters speaking dire dialogue. What the audience is expecting is a breakdown of a woman's mental health into madness. But what we receive is far less absorbing. Instead of feeling sorrow and pity for Linda Rodgers, who has suffered through a brutal gang rape, I felt anger at her whiny voice and ridiculous outlook on life.
The most destructive element of the film is Linda's (Sallee Young) voice. Her shrillness and churlishness are more irritating than nails on a blackboard. It's a bummer because Young isn't too bad in insane killer mode. But you will have to suffer many aural discomforts to reach these scenes. I came close to hitting that beautifully quiet off button. Alternately, I muted the annoying lady to a whisper.
Add to this a lacklustre direction and a sluggish pace, and you produce a tediously annoying film. And though there are a few scenes in which Arthur Jeffreys structures and lights them perfectly, they are sadly not enough to make this picture worth watching.
If you're looking for a psychological chiller killer of a flick, then this is not for you. I would suggest that should you get a chance to watch this movie opt to watch paint dry instead. Much less irritating.
Come on over to my Chiller Thriller Killers, and The Game Is Afoot to see where the Demented one resides in my charts.
Take Care & Stay Well.
Not That Bad
gwnightscream22 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This 1980 thriller tells about a housewife, Linda (Sallee Young) being a wreck after she's raped by 4 men. In the process, her scumbag husband is cheating behind her back and soon she snaps when a group of teens
break in her home. The film follows the footsteps of "I Spit on Your Grave," it's not that bad, Young is an attractive woman, but her acting is a bit wooden for most of the film.
Predictable, But Not Without Charms
kennymasterson24 September 2021
Demented is a prime slice of the kind of low budget horror/exploitation stuff that doesn't get made anymore. Depending who you are, they might be a good thing or a bad thing.
Sallee Eyse plays Linda, a rape victim who starts to lose her mind and see every man as a potential threat. It doesn't help that her husband (porn star Harry Reems) leaves home every chance he can to sleep around. Left alone, Linda's mental health deteriorates until she becomes a cold-blooded murderess.
It's all very tacky and shot and acted without any real style, but there are a few moments where it comes to life.
Sallee Eyse plays Linda, a rape victim who starts to lose her mind and see every man as a potential threat. It doesn't help that her husband (porn star Harry Reems) leaves home every chance he can to sleep around. Left alone, Linda's mental health deteriorates until she becomes a cold-blooded murderess.
It's all very tacky and shot and acted without any real style, but there are a few moments where it comes to life.
Repulsion Rip Off
glenmatisse13 July 2020
The victim of a rape starts to lose her grip on reality which leads to some incredibly shrill overacting in what's basically a low budget exploitation rip off of Roman Polanski's Repulsion. The revenge portion of the film is ok and somewhat lively, but it takes a really long time to get there and the film isn't well written or well acted enough to keep our interest in the 50 minutes between the opening attack and the last act of revenge.
I guess it depends on who's watching, but I liked this movie very much.
artilevel13 September 2013
It has been some years since I saw it, but I have never forgotten it and have been searching for it ever since, without success. It had flaws, but then what movie doesn't? I don't much like the flash, noisy, special effects laden dross that gets churned out nowadays but nearly everybody loves it seems.
I've seen many revenge movies, such as I Spit on your Grave, Last House on the Left and similar type movies, like House on the Edge of the Park and so many horror movies of that genre that most of them all blur in to one eventually, but this one stuck in my mind. I'm not sure why exactly, but the fact that it stands out above all the others I've seen shows it had something about it that made it just that bit different.
I'm sure some would say maybe I just like bad movies, given most of the reviews here, but then how anyone can say House on the Edge of the Park is a good movie is quite beyond me, when in reality it has been mostly instantly forgettable for me, so much the same as so many others of that ilk was it.
I really wish Demented would get a good DVD release. After all, so much utter rubbish does, so if a movie that some regard as rubbish gets put onto DVD, well then, that is just another 'rubbish' movie that has been given a DVD release! And some who may never have seen it, can do so, and many will appreciate and like it, I am sure.
I've seen many revenge movies, such as I Spit on your Grave, Last House on the Left and similar type movies, like House on the Edge of the Park and so many horror movies of that genre that most of them all blur in to one eventually, but this one stuck in my mind. I'm not sure why exactly, but the fact that it stands out above all the others I've seen shows it had something about it that made it just that bit different.
I'm sure some would say maybe I just like bad movies, given most of the reviews here, but then how anyone can say House on the Edge of the Park is a good movie is quite beyond me, when in reality it has been mostly instantly forgettable for me, so much the same as so many others of that ilk was it.
I really wish Demented would get a good DVD release. After all, so much utter rubbish does, so if a movie that some regard as rubbish gets put onto DVD, well then, that is just another 'rubbish' movie that has been given a DVD release! And some who may never have seen it, can do so, and many will appreciate and like it, I am sure.
Revenge
kapelusznik184 September 2016
Warning: Spoilers
***SPOILERS*** In spite of getting top billing in this film by the IMDb porn actor Harry Reems, as Matt Rogers, is in the film credits as Bruce Gilchrist in an obvious effort to hide his identity from the both public and movie credits in not hurting the films box office returns. In an updated version of the 1960 film "The Silent Spring" we had Linda Rogers get gang raped by these four silk stocking hooded creeps while feeding her pet horse that lands her in a sanitarium for some two years. Being released and into the arms of her cheating husband Matt her life never improves with Matt not paying the attention to her that she so desperately needs.
Going out at all times of the day and night on emergency calls, Matt's a doctor,and leaving Linda behind and alone he's really involved in a passionate relationship with Carol whom he met while Linda was away at the sanitarium. It's on Halloween eve that three neighborhood teenagers decide to brake into the Roger's house and do some trick and treating on Linda with her husband, as usual, away on an emergency call to his secret lover Carol. It's here that the film's story falls completely apart in trying to imitate the movie 'The Silent Spring" in that the three teens, as nuts and ridicules as they are, had nothing to do with Linda getting gang raped: But ends up getting theirs-In spades-from Linda for someone else's crimes committed against her!
***SPOILERS*** The three teens who brake into Linda's house end up getting both captured tortured as well as murdered by her who in one case she forces one of them to eat the cooked liver of one of her victims: That's before she blew him away with a shotgun as he was begging, while tied up, for his life. As we already knew the rapists who ravaged Linda at the start of the film were captured and are now behind bars which made Linda's revenge killings of the three brainless but innocent-in not raping her-teens no sense at all. As for Matt his crime of infidelity didn't go unnoticed with a wild eyed and demented Linda waiting for him when he came home from his latest house call.
Going out at all times of the day and night on emergency calls, Matt's a doctor,and leaving Linda behind and alone he's really involved in a passionate relationship with Carol whom he met while Linda was away at the sanitarium. It's on Halloween eve that three neighborhood teenagers decide to brake into the Roger's house and do some trick and treating on Linda with her husband, as usual, away on an emergency call to his secret lover Carol. It's here that the film's story falls completely apart in trying to imitate the movie 'The Silent Spring" in that the three teens, as nuts and ridicules as they are, had nothing to do with Linda getting gang raped: But ends up getting theirs-In spades-from Linda for someone else's crimes committed against her!
***SPOILERS*** The three teens who brake into Linda's house end up getting both captured tortured as well as murdered by her who in one case she forces one of them to eat the cooked liver of one of her victims: That's before she blew him away with a shotgun as he was begging, while tied up, for his life. As we already knew the rapists who ravaged Linda at the start of the film were captured and are now behind bars which made Linda's revenge killings of the three brainless but innocent-in not raping her-teens no sense at all. As for Matt his crime of infidelity didn't go unnoticed with a wild eyed and demented Linda waiting for him when he came home from his latest house call.
Awful
dworldeater19 January 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Demented is one of many nasty, sleazy rape and revenge themed horror movies that were churned out in regularity in the late 70's/early 80's. However, this is one that deserves to be forgotten about, which is surprising that Shout! Factory recently released this on blu ray. The storytelling and overall direction of the film is inept with very little character development or story. The acting is even worst, with the best acting from 70's porn actor Harold Reems, seriously. Sallee Elyse who plays his wife is a very attractive woman with enormous breasts and zero acting ability. Add to the fact that her voice is screachy and a stupid plot, this film truly is an endurance test for the audience to get to from beginning to end. The psychological aspects of the film are way out of our leading lady's ability to convey, or to emote at all in fact. Now our main character's fate is horrible, she gets gang raped and when she gets released from the mental hospital her husband ignores her and plays with his girl on the side and gets terrorized by neighbor hood boys that break into her house at night, thus driving her insane to kill everybody. Who would treat a rape victim that way? Demented is a sadistic, misogysist film that is so dumb and poorly executed it falls completely limp. A good example of a movie like this that works and is done well is I Spit On Your Grave(Yes, the original, but even the uninspired remake is much better than this!). Demented is a total piece of cinematic crap and is not recommended to anyone.
Don't Order The Dessert
saint_brett7 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Just a little warning to anyone who reads my award-nominated reviews. At times when reading my stuff you may experience what's known in 'Highlander 2' as The Quickening. You may experience a shortage of breath then an exhilaration rush like a skydiving high. (Some guy's snort for it, some jab a vein, but all you gotta do with me is... read.) This high associated with my writing can't be equated to photo sensitivity, or strobe light effects, but more a positive experience as like fine wine my writing's getting better and better with age. I deserve some sort of recognition for my attributes. Like a Pulitzer Prize, or something.
You see what happens when you eat a diet of garbage every night? You become accustom to eating trashy movies that you lower yourself to stoop further and watch crap like 'Demented.' But, that's okay because I've built an immune defense system to ward off the effects of movies like this that they don't faze me anymore.
You just come to expect another lousy movie to defile your senses and accept its onslaught.
'Demented' starts off at a rate of knots as the demented woman has an afternoon appointment session with a horse. (I found that 'Zoo' documentary really disappointing and boring as ALL identities were kept hidden.)
What was that other movie I watched only last week where a lady was confessing her love to a goat?
A bunch of 'Death Wish' rejects appear from nowhere and degrade her.
I take it this was filmed in the late 70's which questions me to ask why this topic was so prevalent around this period in time?
My DVD copy has scratchy VHS ripples rolling down the screen.
Kenneth Bianchi, or is it Angelo Buono Jr, and the demented lady leave the countryside and return to the city where she finds herself jumping at shadows.
She turns to drug addiction and starts shooting up heroin. (Lucky it's not cleaning fluid.) Only 11-minutes into the movie and she becomes an addict and starts scratching her skin and seeing the bugs, and snakes, that crawl on junkie's skin when they're at their worst.
Fantasyland steps over into reality when the stocking-wearing baddies start appearing to trick, or treat, her into further madness.
A poorly, mishandled, scene where an account of the rape sees the movie laughing in the face, or at the expense, of the ordeal, which is in poor taste.
After being violated at the beginning of the movie, the demented lady is further harassed by some home invading high schoolers, who further terrorize her.
I think I've seen this before? If I remember correctly she blasts one of these kids away at the end with a shotgun?
With a strain on their marriage, Bianchi has extra marital affairs. You can rule out that song 'Can You Feel the Love Tonight' between these two. Their marriage is a constant barrage of arguments in a household of eggshells and booby traps.
Another night of torment from the schoolboys sees the demented lady bury a meat cleaver in the first stooges' neck.
It's good to see victims fight back and deliver true justice. I'm cheering for you, lead actress.
You know who would have been good cast as the lead in this? That lady from Seinfeld - Tracy Nelson. She was the Jerry lookalike in one episode. (Personally, I couldn't see the comparison.) I saw her in a sinister movie where she fed this lady, who was allergic to peanuts, some cookies laced with peanuts.
The demented lady's descent into madness reaches its peak as she takes revenge on the schoolboy intruders and starts giving them a taste of their own medicine whilst hunting them down and turning the tables.
Pushed past the limits, the demented lady runs on adrenalin and does a little 'I Spit on Your Grave' business. Literally. (The bathtub scene.) A more sanitized version of Texas Chainsaw's "guest at the dinner table" scene sees the demented lady holding the shotgun-in-waiting victim hostage and tormenting him to the point of tears before executing him. (Did they go a little overboard here with all the pleading and begging and crying?) Around the one hour, and 23-minute mark, the demented lady dismisses the pretty boy with a double barrel and he screams like a little school girl on her first day at school. Can you hear yourself, kid? Die with some dignity.
This violence is what the demented lady refers to as dessert.
Now for her pesky, two-timing, husband - Bianchi.
Bianchi comes home to a 'Halloween' score playing in the background and discovers Michael Myers lying dead in his bed and the demented lady, looking a little like Rocky's wife, comes from behind with the meat cleaver - that's what you see on the front cover of the DVD - and the movie ends on a still frame as 'Six Million Dollar Man' strength sound effects play to round it out.
You see what happens when you eat a diet of garbage every night? You become accustom to eating trashy movies that you lower yourself to stoop further and watch crap like 'Demented.' But, that's okay because I've built an immune defense system to ward off the effects of movies like this that they don't faze me anymore.
You just come to expect another lousy movie to defile your senses and accept its onslaught.
'Demented' starts off at a rate of knots as the demented woman has an afternoon appointment session with a horse. (I found that 'Zoo' documentary really disappointing and boring as ALL identities were kept hidden.)
What was that other movie I watched only last week where a lady was confessing her love to a goat?
A bunch of 'Death Wish' rejects appear from nowhere and degrade her.
I take it this was filmed in the late 70's which questions me to ask why this topic was so prevalent around this period in time?
My DVD copy has scratchy VHS ripples rolling down the screen.
Kenneth Bianchi, or is it Angelo Buono Jr, and the demented lady leave the countryside and return to the city where she finds herself jumping at shadows.
She turns to drug addiction and starts shooting up heroin. (Lucky it's not cleaning fluid.) Only 11-minutes into the movie and she becomes an addict and starts scratching her skin and seeing the bugs, and snakes, that crawl on junkie's skin when they're at their worst.
Fantasyland steps over into reality when the stocking-wearing baddies start appearing to trick, or treat, her into further madness.
A poorly, mishandled, scene where an account of the rape sees the movie laughing in the face, or at the expense, of the ordeal, which is in poor taste.
After being violated at the beginning of the movie, the demented lady is further harassed by some home invading high schoolers, who further terrorize her.
I think I've seen this before? If I remember correctly she blasts one of these kids away at the end with a shotgun?
With a strain on their marriage, Bianchi has extra marital affairs. You can rule out that song 'Can You Feel the Love Tonight' between these two. Their marriage is a constant barrage of arguments in a household of eggshells and booby traps.
Another night of torment from the schoolboys sees the demented lady bury a meat cleaver in the first stooges' neck.
It's good to see victims fight back and deliver true justice. I'm cheering for you, lead actress.
You know who would have been good cast as the lead in this? That lady from Seinfeld - Tracy Nelson. She was the Jerry lookalike in one episode. (Personally, I couldn't see the comparison.) I saw her in a sinister movie where she fed this lady, who was allergic to peanuts, some cookies laced with peanuts.
The demented lady's descent into madness reaches its peak as she takes revenge on the schoolboy intruders and starts giving them a taste of their own medicine whilst hunting them down and turning the tables.
Pushed past the limits, the demented lady runs on adrenalin and does a little 'I Spit on Your Grave' business. Literally. (The bathtub scene.) A more sanitized version of Texas Chainsaw's "guest at the dinner table" scene sees the demented lady holding the shotgun-in-waiting victim hostage and tormenting him to the point of tears before executing him. (Did they go a little overboard here with all the pleading and begging and crying?) Around the one hour, and 23-minute mark, the demented lady dismisses the pretty boy with a double barrel and he screams like a little school girl on her first day at school. Can you hear yourself, kid? Die with some dignity.
This violence is what the demented lady refers to as dessert.
Now for her pesky, two-timing, husband - Bianchi.
Bianchi comes home to a 'Halloween' score playing in the background and discovers Michael Myers lying dead in his bed and the demented lady, looking a little like Rocky's wife, comes from behind with the meat cleaver - that's what you see on the front cover of the DVD - and the movie ends on a still frame as 'Six Million Dollar Man' strength sound effects play to round it out.
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