Quentin Tarantino once spoke with some eloquence about the films that most unsettled him. He mentioned THE SHINING having an over arching sense of fear. He called it ‘the atmosphere of dread’. In the conversation, he spoke of the framing, soundscape and tone of the film. Another movie he coupled into this was the Australian masterpiece ‘NEXT OF KIN’. He only mentioned those two films, but in truth he could easily add the first of the two part boxset into it. DEMENTER has that atmosphere of dread as such, in an all encompassing menace. Now it is far less accomplished or intelligent as either of the former films but it skilfully uses film techniques to frightening effect.

Katie (Katie Groshong ) wants to start again. Fleeing from a cult that left her scarred, is not simply a feat of distance healing her. She takes a job in a care centre supporting adults with special needs and high dependency. Among her charges is Stephanie (Stephanie Kinkle), a woman with Down syndrome. As Stephanie falls sick, Katie becomes convinced that “devils” are coming for Stephanie, Flashbacks, nightmares and cult ritual have left her unable to find fact and fiction. The cult leader Larry (Larry Fessenden), might be setting her up for a fall however. Katie takes more and more disturbed actions to ward off the apparent evil that is tormenting Stephanie.

The positioning of demons and demonic traits in society, allow DEMENTER to reflect on the nature of the marginalised and the maligned. This often allows the film to spin its narrative. Round and around. However it leaves the viewer running around after it. The chase can be maddening. It goes at a pace that defuses its ideas. The exposition and action become hazy. Some of it felt like the stealing of editing troupes mixed with craft from other film makers. But in its whole, the narrative spirals into a series of circles and Katie Groshong seems to be trapped init. She is pushed to playing the whole as an final girl hero without a monster. So you feel sometimes as if the madness is spilling out of the screen. Sometimes the annoyance is.  Unsettling as DEMENTER becomes in its final third, it loses all that currency with its hubris.

DISC

So I have not reviewed JUGFACE in the film reviews. But I will speak on it here. Both films attain a nice transfer. No problem there. Maybe a 2K would have helped DEMENTER more but thats by the by. The disc contents are solid on the main disc. The best thing is the writer-director Chad Crawford Kinkle commentary. Its full on and filled to the brim. Directing points. Writing points. Production points. Also good is Katie Groshong comments on the Cast and Crew commentary. She seems to have given her all. Well her almost all. I disliked the kiss up critic commentary. Butts are for sitting. JUGFACE extras are shit. Frankly Shit. NO way, No How…

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• High-Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original DTS 5.1 MA and Stereo 2.1 audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Includes Chad Crawford Kinkle’s debut feature Jug Face on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK
• Reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Coffee & Cigarettes
• Fully illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic Chris Hallock

DISC ONE – DEMENTER

• Director’s Commentary, a brand new audio commentary with writer-director Chad Crawford Kinkle
• Cast & Crew Commentary, a brand new audio commentary with lead actress Katie Groshong, cinematographer Jeff Wedding and writer-director Chad Crawford Kinkle
• Critic Commentary, a brand new audio commentary with film critic Chris Hallock and writer-director Chad Crawford Kinkle in conversation
• The Making of Dementer, a brand new in-depth look behind the scenes of how and why the film was made, featuring interviews with writer-director Chad Crawford Kinkle, star Katie Groshong, and cinematographer Jeff Wedding
• In the Words of Larry, actor Larry Fessenden discusses his role in the film and why he was so eager to take it
• Outsider Art and Dementer, a brand new featurette with Chad Crawford Kinkle and fellow filmmakers Lucky McKee (May, The Woman) and Larry Fessenden (Habit, The Wendigo) in conversation as they explore the art of independent genre filmmaking
• Short Films, a collection of early short films by director Chad Crawford Kinkle with optional commentary showing his development from high school through college and into professional feature film making
• Trailer
• Still gallery

DISC TWO – JUG FACE aka THE PIT (LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE)

• Staring into the Pit, writer-director Chad Crawford Kinkle in discussion with critic Jon Towlson
• Back into the Woods, lead actor Lauren Ashley Carter in conversation with Celluloid Screams founder Robert Nevitt
• A Face Jug tour, writer-director Chad Crawford Kinkle invites you into his home to check out his enviable face collection