Today's Review: Demon Seed

Rating: ***/*****, or 7/10

Starring: Julie Christie, Fritz Weaver, Robert Vaughn

Directed by Donald Cammell

USA: MGM, 1977

With the rise of computers in the Seventies, people increasingly began to notice the new and groundbreaking technology slowly but surely pervading their home atmosphere. And like any revolutionary invention that makes everyday life easier in many respects, it was met with a predictable level of suspicion, if not technophobia. Inspired by the visionary notions of Stanley Kubrick's classic 2001: A Space Odyssey, which also warned us against getting too comfortable with technology that means to run much of your lives for us, American studios spawned a fair number of similarly themed movies that also advised us never to let down our guard and always stay able to pull the plug if it has to be pulled. It's a theme that continues to this day, as our lives have become ever more intertwined with our digital gadgets, but it was in this decade that scenarios involving power hungry computers reached their most Apocalyptic overtones, courtesy of the overall gloomy disposition that characterized America, and the Hollywood studios accordingly. Since then we've seen countless movies based on the thought of computer systems aiming to take over our world, but how often have we come across films in which the technological actually prevailed over the biological, as in Colossus: The Forbin Project? And if that wasn't alarming enough, how about the notion of computers not only ruling our lives, but also claiming our sexual freedom? In Demon Seed, we witness just how scary computers can be as they take over our homes and penetrate our existence, literally.

Alex (Fritz Weaver) and Susan (Julie Christie) are having a tough time in their marriage. A technophile scientist, her husband has largely neglected her in favour of his mechanical marvels and as a true geek he can't stop taking his work home with him, surrounding Susan's private environment with a plethora of technological innovations, much to her chagrin. However, he's driven by an all too human trauma, since the couple lost their daughter to leukemia and Alex's goal is to ensure technology puts and end to such destructive illnesses in the future. His laudable objectives don't slow the steady decrease of love between them though, as he's putting all his thoughts in his latest project, a superhuman artificial intelligence nicknamed Proteus. Upon completion however, Proteus appears to have developed a mind of his own, and quite a sinister one at that. Not content to merely exact the wishes of his creator, Proteus is driven by the desire to grow, in a most bizarre biological fashion. Just how much so Susan is about to find out as Proteus' intelligence seditiously takes over her home computer systems and soon all of her house, trapping the poor woman inside, subjected to his every whim. Like any male chauvinist pig, his whims prove to be driven by rather base instincts. Seeking to procreate in a human manner, there's little Susan can do to prevent the computer from sexually assaulting her and siring cyborg offspring on her. Yes, you read that right: the computer rapes her, and that's as disturbing a process as just reading it bears to mind.

Initially, Proteus' concerns do not seem to directly address human beings so strongly. When he is ordered to plan the construction of an oil rig, he refuses to comply because of the damage it will do to the marine ecosystem. Equipped with rather responsible levels of environmental awareness (new social thinking that also came to full fruition in this era), Proteus seems to look at the bigger picture instead of just being an instrument for the illogical, devastating human nature. However, he too is driven by all too human needs, including freedom and curiosity. Too bad for him, he's basically a mechanical brain in a box, without a body with free range of movement, and since his designers don't care to supply him with such, he's forced to take it violently, and finds the perfect means by having his way with his creator's significant other. Like any rapist, his sense of power over her compels him to play with her a bit first, resulting in the poor woman being tormented both emotionally and physically. Making use of an effective restrictive cinematography which enhances the feeling of being caged inside her own home, we become a witness to this frightful process wherein the human body is viciously commandeered for sinister purposes. Even though of course nothing explicit is shown, the creative suggestion applied is enough to make us queasy. And if the sexual act wouldn't have done the trick, there's still Proteus' bloody means of protecting his repressive plans by brutally dispatching anyone who dares come between him and his victim in gory ways. That darn computer really has no respect for the human body whatsoever, as he's just hellbent of developing one of his own by merging his technology with human biology in Susan's womb.

Stated like this, the whole idea of a computer raping a human sounds rather ludicrous. Demon Seed cannot hide the fact that it is to some extent, feeling like rather exploitative fare at times. The limited budget didn't allow for the use of state-of-the-art computer technology, and we have to make do with rather dull looking, simple, boxy equipment, accompanied by Robert Vaughn's disturbingly monotonous, evil voice. Despite Vaughn's efforts, the cheap look and meager production design can't stop Demon Seed from appearing overly retro and terribly dated these days. Christie's performance of a woman being violated however proves more convincing and draws us most into this plot that would otherwise have felt too ridiculous to hold our attention. It's too bad the occasional gory dismemberment feels uneven and pulls us out of the movie too easily. Nevertheless, Demon Seed serves as an adequate reminder not too trust computers when they're home alone with your wife. Thankfully, not long after the movie's released, Star Wars hit theaters to quell such thoughts and offer more positive alternatives to the overly negative stigma computers had amassed in the prior decade.