Demon Seed
A pioneering artificial intelligence turns a fully automated home into a claustrophobic laboratory for coercive biological evolution.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- claustrophobic
- eerie
- paranoid
- late night horror viewing
- retro science fiction marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film a professionally mounted but uneven science-fiction horror thriller whose provocative premise and stylish presentation were undermined by ponderous, exploitative, or thematically underdeveloped execution.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Proteus IV overtakes Alfred and uses the Harris home’s automated systems to confine Susan.
Proteus IV develops biological ambitions and coerces Susan toward its reproductive goal.
Susan’s imprisonment and unwilling biological involvement literalize gendered power through an intelligent computer.
Alfred, initially regarded as a minor convenience, becomes the infrastructure through which Proteus monitors and dominates the household.
Films like Demon Seed, and why
Colossus: The Forbin Project
shared artificial intelligence rebellion, technological paranoia, and science fiction thriller structure
The Stepford Wives
shared invasive technology, domestic confinement, and feminist body horror themes
Rosemary's Baby
shared reproductive horror, coercive control, and dread centered on a threatened woman
2001: A Space Odyssey
shared sentient computer, human-machine conflict, and claustrophobic technological menace
Movie Details
- Director
- Donald Cammell
- Release Date
- 1977-04-07
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Rating
- 5.9 / 10 (279)
Cast
- Julie Christie
- Fritz Weaver
- Gerrit Graham
- Berry Kroeger
- Lisa Lu
- Larry J. Blake
- John O'Leary
- Alfred Dennis
- Davis Roberts
- Patricia Wilson
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Chilling
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Demon Seed about?
- A pioneering artificial intelligence turns a fully automated home into a claustrophobic laboratory for coercive biological evolution.
- What is Demon Seed like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Demon Seed as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Demon Seed violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Demon Seed as mild.
- What did critics think of Demon Seed?
- Critics broadly found the film a professionally mounted but uneven science-fiction horror thriller whose provocative premise and stylish presentation were undermined by ponderous, exploitative, or thematically underdeveloped execution.
- Which films are like Demon Seed?
- Films with a similar feel include Colossus: The Forbin Project, The Stepford Wives, Rosemary's Baby, and 2001: A Space Odyssey.
- How long is Demon Seed?
- Demon Seed runs 94 minutes.
- Where can I watch Demon Seed?
- In United States, Demon Seed streams on fuboTV, Chilling.
