A housewife's nightly passion spirals into horror when her mysterious lover is not of this world.
DEMON SEED
Her wildest dreams are about to come true
A frustrated housewife begins having nightly trysts with a tall, dark stranger who turns out to be a ghost from the other side. Thus begins her descent into dementia, as she begins to distance herself even further from her husband and kids while painting portraits of her enigmatic new lover.
Quick Answer
Demon Seed is a 1982 American horror film directed by James Polakof about a frustrated housewife whose passionate nightly encounters with a mysterious stranger, revealed to be Satan himself, lead her into madness and terror.
Programmer's Pick
You know your marriage is in trouble when your secret lover demands portraits and installs a guillotine in the cellar. Britt Ekland brings just the right mix of glamour and unraveling nerves to this supernatural seduction.
— SassyFlix Programmer
Overview
Details & Specs
- Director
- James Polakof
- Writers
- James Polakof, Beverly Johnson
- Release
- 1982
- Runtime
- 1h 38m
- Country
- United States of America
- Language
- English
- Genres
- Horror
- Also Known As
- Stan's Mistress, Les yeux du cauchemar, Fury of the Succubus, In Teufels Namen, Ojos tenebrosos, Terror-Augen, Demon Seed, Dark Eyes, Demon Rage (original title)
Why This Matters
This 1982 horror film stands out for featuring several actors with James Bond film credentials, including Lana Wood, Britt Ekland, and Kabir Bedi, and was released the same year as the similarly themed The Entity, but with a consensual supernatural relationship.
Cast & Crew
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Why Cult
A housewife's nightly trysts with a dark stranger turn out to be a pact with the Prince of Darkness himself.
The family home comes with a fully-functional guillotine, setting the stage for some truly macabre set pieces.
Britt Ekland gives a performance that captures both the allure and the psychological unraveling of her character.
Devil-worshippers descend on the heroine, adding layers of supernatural menace and cultic paranoia.
Scene Gallery
Threat File
Housewife's nightly encounters with mysterious stranger
Satanic/ghostly lover and devil-worshippers
Descent into madness, estrangement from family, looming violence
Family home with sinister cellar
Questions from the Vault
When was Demon Seed released? +
Demon Seed was released in 1982.
Who directed Demon Seed? +
Demon Seed was directed by James Polakof.
How long is Demon Seed? +
Demon Seed has a runtime of 98 minutes.
What genre is Demon Seed? +
Demon Seed is a horror film.
Why is there a fully-functional guillotine in the cellar? +
The house's cellar contains a guillotine, heightening the home’s atmosphere of dread and serving as a harbinger for the violence that follows.
