You can finally watch Francis Ford Coppola’s directorial debut in stunning 4K quality. Dementia 13, a low-budget horror film produced by Roger Corman, will be released on Blu-ray HD and 4K digital on September 21. Lionsgate will distribute the film, now titled Dementia 13: Director’s Cut, under their Vestron Video Collector’s Series label.
This is not the first film of Coppola’s to get the director’s cut treatment. Rereleases such as The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone and The Cotton Club Encore have proven to be successful for the director and his studio American Zoetrope. In a press statement released today, Lionsgate revealed that “Coppola went into his own private collection” and assisted with the restoration process. After all, it is arguably the least accessible of the director’s extensive filmography up to this point, with the 16MM copies currently in existence being of poor quality. With this new 4K transfer, the cult classic can be given a new lease on life.
Coppola also provided a statement on the upcoming transfer. “Dementia 13 obviously occupies a place in my heart as my first film,” he said, “and I’m very proud that it can now exist as I intended it.”
Dementia 13: Director’s Cut includes both an introduction and commentary by Coppola, as well as a new prologue that better establishes the film’s sinister test. The Blu-ray will be in 1080p High Definition while the audio has been remastered in Mono DTS-HD and 5.1 DTS-HD. Coppola also approved of the film’s new 16x9 1.66 aspect ratio.
Not familiar with Dementia 13 or need a refresher on its plot? Check out the trailer below. Lionsgate and American Zoetrope will release the director's cut of the film on Blu-ray HD and 4K on digital on September 21.
Here's the new Dementia 13 summary provided by Vestron Video Collector’s Series, as well as its gorgeous Blu-ray cover, below:
A widow deceives her late husband’s mother and brothers into thinking he’s still alive when she attends the yearly memorial to his drowned sister, hoping to secure his inheritance. But her cunning is no match for the demented, axe-wielding thing roaming the grounds of the family’s Irish estate in this cult favorite featuring Patrick Magee, Luana Anders, William Campbell, and Bart Patton.
