Dementer
| Dementer | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Chad Crawford Kinkle |
| Written by | Chad Crawford Kinkle |
| Produced by | Chad Crawford Kinkle Ashleigh Snead |
| Starring | Katie Groshong Stephanie Kinkle Brandy Edmiston Larry Fessenden |
| Cinematography | Jeff Wedding |
| Edited by | Chad Crawford Kinkle |
| Music by | Sean Spillane |
| Distributed by | Dark Star Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 81 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Dementer is a 2019 American horror film written and directed by Chad Crawford Kinkle. It stars Katie Groshong, Stephanie Kinkle, Brandy Edmiston, and Larry Fessenden. Groshong plays a cult survivor who takes a job at a care center for adults with developmental disabilities and becomes convinced that one of its residents is threatened by supernatural forces.[2]
The film premiered at the Nashville Film Festival in October 2019 and was released on digital platforms by Dark Star Pictures in March 2021.[3][4]
Plot
[edit]Katie, a woman who has escaped from a violent cult, takes a job at a center for adults with developmental disabilities and becomes close to Stephanie, a woman with Down syndrome. When Stephanie becomes ill, Katie believes that forces connected to her former cult are threatening her and begins performing rituals to protect her.[5][6]
Cast
[edit]- Katie Groshong as Katie
- Stephanie Kinkle as Stephanie
- Brandy Edmiston as Brandy
- Larry Fessenden as Larry
- Eller Hall as Eller
- Scott Hodges as Joey[4]
Production
[edit]Kinkle developed the film around his sister Stephanie, who has Down syndrome and appears in the film. He cited The Tribe and Lars von Trier's The Idiots as influences. He planned from the beginning to shoot Dementer handheld and in a cinéma vérité style.[7] Shooting lasted fourteen days. Kinkle served as the sole camera operator and later edited the film himself.[8]
Release
[edit]Dementer had its world premiere at the Nashville Film Festival on October 10, 2019.[3] It was also shown at the 2020 Chattanooga Film Festival. Kinkle later said that interest generated by the screening helped him secure distribution through Dark Star Pictures.[9][7] Dark Star Pictures released the film on digital platforms on March 2, 2021.[4] Arrow Video released it on Blu-ray on October 4, 2021, together with Kinkle's earlier film Jug Face.[10]
Reception
[edit]Noel Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the everyday scenes at the care facility were handled in a matter-of-fact way and found that the film's plain style made its later violence more shocking.[2] Phil Hoad of The Guardian gave the film three out of five stars. He found the care-facility scenes unusually convincing, but said the vagueness of Katie's past made the film "unsettling rather than frightening".[5] Shelagh Rowan-Legg of ScreenAnarchy praised the film's portrayal of people with developmental disabilities, noting that they were neither ridiculed nor glamorized.[6] Rich Cross of Starburst called Kinkle's approach to disability sensitive, but felt that the film's resolution was flawed.[11]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Dementer". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
- 1 2 Murray, Noel (5 March 2021). "In horror films and thrillers, location, location, location often isn't enough". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
- 1 2 Anderson, Derek (10 September 2019). "New Images from Chad Crawford Kinkle's DEMENTER, World Premiering at the 2019 Nashville Film Festival on October 10th". Daily Dead. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 Gingold, Michael (5 February 2021). "Exclusive trailer, poster, release info: "JUG FACE" director's "DEMENTER," with Larry Fessenden". Rue Morgue. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
- 1 2 Hoad, Phil (28 September 2021). "Dementer review – unsettling low-budget care facility chiller". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
- 1 2 Rowan-Legg, Shelagh (1 March 2021). "Review: DEMENTER, The Devil Hides in Plain Sight". ScreenAnarchy. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
- 1 2 Swope, Michelle (2 March 2021). "Interview – DEMENTER Director Chad Crawford Kinkle on Disability Representation & Working with Larry Fessenden". Dread Central. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
- ↑ "Trailer: DEMENTER is the Latest Supernatural Nightmare from the Writer/Director of JUG FACE". Dread Central. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
- ↑ "2020". Chattanooga Film Festival. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
- ↑ Unsworth, Martin. "DEMENTER [FrightFest 2021 Digital]". Starburst. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
- ↑ Cross, Rich. "Dementer". Starburst. Retrieved 7 September 2026.