© 2006 William Ahearn

Proteus – the advanced computer and artificial intelligence machine of “Demon Seed” – is the first beast in this series that can think outside of the box. While other evil egomaniacal machines want to rule the world, Proteus seeks to port its cyberself into the world of the flesh. It would be the most amazing cross-platform hack of all time and just what cables to use would boggle my mind.

This desire to breed is spawned by the imminent end of the research project that created Proteus even though it has cured leukemia in a matter of hours.

And that is an interesting concept. One of the drawbacks of being a super intelligence trapped in a box is that you never get to go anywhere. Mobility gives the feeble-minded humans – who usually aren’t smart enough to pull the plug when faced with a bedeviled brainiac – a definite advantage.
Concept is one thing; execution is an entirely different operating system. The director, Donald Cammell, co-directed “Performance,” with Nicolas Roeg. It’s an interesting 1970’s flick with Mick Jagger and James Fox about a washed up rock star and a gangster. “Performance” was shot in 1968 and not released for two years, so it was almost ten years before Cammell directed another film. While “Performance” is a moody and quirky flick, “Demon Seed” is a by-the-numbers piece that seems like one of those made-for-TV movies.

The setup of “Demon Seed” is so contrived as to be stifling. Dr. Alex Harris – who created Proteus – is breaking up with his wife and fellow doctor, Susan, and she, of course, gets to keep the fully computer automated house. In that house is a computer terminal that is part of the Proteus project and when the project gets shut down, Proteus gets an attitude and begins its plans to implant its seed in Susan and moves into the terminal in the house. (“Hard drives? We don’t need no stinkin’ hard drives.”) Using Alex Harris’ now abandoned workshop in the basement, Proteus creates a one-armed robot to assist in the plan (shades of “Gog”) while taking over every aspect of running the house.

Susan is trapped by the very technology designed to make futuristic life bearable and is – for want of a better word – raped and impregnated by Proteus. Fortunately, Proteus also installs a gestation accelerator and the armor-clad little darling is born into the arms of Alex and Susan Harris within a week or so. At first they want to kill it but then the armor slips off and it’s a sweet little baby wanting its mother.

The entire movie seems to be the prologue for a sequel that never happened. It’s almost as if “Demon Seed” never happened as it’s just about totally disappeared. Very similar to “Colossus: The Forbin Project” in that it’s all prologue that never goes anywhere.