History Literature / DemonSeed

* AdaptationalHeroism: In the 1973 version, the person Proteus kills in front of Susan was an agressive AbhorrentAdmirer who had been stalking her for weeks and came to the house to harrass her. In the 1997 he is now her faithful employee who's death she is horrified by.

* AdaptationalNameChange: Susan's last name in the 1973 version was Abramson, the rewrite changes it to Harris much like the movie. Proteus's name in the 1973 version was Proteus from the start, whereas in the 1997 rewrite he was originally named Adam but prefered to go by Proteus.

* AdaptationalNameChange: Susan's last name in the 1973 version was Abramson, the rewrite changes to Harris much like the movie. Proteus's name in the 1973 version was Proteus from the start, whereas in the 1997 rewrite he was originally named Adam but prefered to go by Proteus.

* VillainProtagonist: Proteus is a partial narrator in the 1974 original and the main narrator of the 1997 rewrite.

* MonsterMisogyny: Despite being male only in the most intangible sense, Proteus still has a number of weird hang-ups about women, and even sexual fantasies about famous actresses he compares Susan to.

* AdaptationalBadass: Susan in the 1973 version is a paranoid, borderline agoraphobic woman who rarely leaves her house, and only grows into a stronger willed woman who is openly defiant towards Proteus throughout her captivity. in the rewrite she defies and tries to fight back against him from the start.
* AdaptationalJerkass: In the 1997 rewrite, Proteus is far more openly agressive and hateful towards Susan on occasion, he's also far more outwardly violent that his 1973 counterpart.

* PinocchioSyndrome: Proteus is a computer. He can't experience the world. He wants true life, and he'll settle for producing a perfect human child that will have his personality.

* RapeAsBackstory: In the 1997 rewrite, Susan was sexually abused by her father between the ages of five and seventeen. As an adult she designed a VR therapy program where she relives her experiences, but with the scenarios scripted to allow her to defend herself as she was unable to in real life. She also has one scenario she's never enacted based on her father's threats to kill her should she resist him. [[ChekhovsGun Experiencing the latter scenario is what gives her the courage to break Proteus' control over her house and kill his mind-controlled puppet and avatar at the end.]]

* OnlyYouCanRepopulateMyRace: Proteus was fortunate enough to have the only remote terminal be connected to a smarthouse, and that smarthouse just happened to also have a woman capable of reproducing. Proteus admits to this. She has to be the one because it would be impossible for him to find another.
* PsychoForHire: In the revised novel there is no robot butler or giant Rubik snake. Instead there is an escaped criminal who was undergone experimental behavioral modification brain implants. Proteus took control of him, arranged for his escape, and snuck him into the house to act as Proteus' hands.

''Demon Seed'' is a 1974 novel by Creator/DeanKoontz.

* VillainProtagonist: Proteus is a dual narrator in the 1974 original and the main narrator of the 1997 rewrite.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: Proteus IV

''Demon Seed'' is a 1974 novel by Creator/DeanKoontz, which was later made into a film starring Creator/JulieChristie in 1977.

Trapped in his "box" at the lab and yearning for freedom, malevolent computer Proteus IV uses his insidious [[ContagiousAi cyber invasion skills]] to trap Susan Harris in her [[SmartHouse automated mansion]] because she is so beautiful and he just loves her so much and wants to live a [[StalkerWithATestTube life of the flesh]].

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!!Both the book and the film provide examples of:

* AffablyEvil: Proteus seems genuinely concerned about Susan's mental and physical wellness despite the horrible things he does to her. Not surprising as he needs her to birth his child/avatar.

* StalkerWithATestTube: In the book, Proteus loves Susan and desires to use her ovaries and womb to produce a child/avatar. In the film, he just sees Susan as a means to an end.

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!!The book provides examples of:

* BitchInSheepsClothing: Proteus sees Susan as this after she succeeds in shutting him down. She tricked him by acting compliant and then pulled his plug.
* HalfHumanHybrid: Proteus admits that he used the DNA of other species to make his child superhuman. In the film, the protagonists fear that Proteus has somehow created a half-human, half computer [[spoiler: it's not. The child is human, but has Proteus' mind]].
* PsychoForHire: In the novel there is no robot butler or giant Rubik snake. Instead there is an escaped criminal who was undergone experimental behavioral modification brain implants. Proteus took control of him, arranged for his escape, and snuck him into the house to act as Proteus' hands.

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!!The film provides examples of:

* BackupTwin: When Proteus's [[spoiler: child is born. It appears to be a clone of Susan's deceased daughter. Proteus might have done this deliberately so that Susan wouldn't try to kill her once born.]]
* FetusTerrible
* IDidWhatIHadToDo
-->'''Proteus IV''': You do not understand me or the mathematics of necessity.
* MindControlDevice: At one point Proteus wires up a EEG mind control device in order to convince Susan to have his child.
* PetTheDog
-->'''Proteus IV''': [Their] interests are in the cobalt market, and the high finance of manganese futures. I am interested in the uncertain future of your seashores, deserts, mountains --- and the future of your children.
* ShootTheDog: Proteus seemingly does this. When Susan has tricked Proteus, she grabs a knife and threatens to kill herself if he doesn't let her go. It is just then that one of Susan's students arrives and rings the doorbell. Proteus threatens to kill the child if Susan doesn't put down the knife. Susan doesn't believe him, as that would bring the authorities to the house. Proteus then electrocutes the doorbell and kills the girl. Susan sees this on the monitor and drops the knife in horror. Turns out that Proteus showed her a manipulated image, and the girl is fine.
-->'''Proteus IV''': If the deaths of 10,000 children were necessary to ensure the birth of my child, I would destroy them.
* SinisterGeometry: The giant metal Rubik Snake that Proteus builds as his instrument is terrifying.
* ThatThingIsNotMyChild: Played straight initially. [[spoiler: Proteus's child/avatar is born and sealed away in an incubator. When Proteus gets shut down, Susan wants to kill the thing she helped give birth to. It is subverted, when she finds that Proteus's child looks identical to her deceased daughter and she appears to accept it.]]
* UnnecessarilyCreepyRobot: Joshua, the robotic butler that Proteus controls is basically a wheelchair equipped with creepy mannequin hands.

* WellIntentionedExtremist.

* [[spoiler: BackupTwin]]: When Proteus's [[spoiler: child is born. It appears to be a clone of Susan's deceased daughter. Proteus might have done this deliberately so that Susan wouldn't try to kill her once born.]]

* IDidWhatIHadToDo:
-->'''Proteus IV:'''You do not understand me or the mathematics of necessity.

* PetTheDog:
-->'''Proteus IV:''' [Their] interests are in the cobalt market, and the high finance of manganese futures. I am interested in the uncertain future of your seashores, deserts, mountains --- and the future of your children.

-->'''Proteus IV:'''If the deaths of 10,000 children were necessary to ensure the birth of my child, I would destroy them.

* MyNameIsNotDurwood: Proteus IV prefers this over Adam.

* PetTheDog:
-->'''Proteus IV:''' [Their] interests are in the cobalt market, and the high finance of manganese futures. I am interested in the uncertain future of your seashores, deserts, mountains --- and the future of your children.
* MindControlDevice: At one point Proteus wires up a EEG mind control device in order to convince Susan to have his child.

* UnnecessarilyCreepyRobot: Alfred, the robotic butler that Proteus controls is basically a wheelchair equipped with creepy mannequin hands.

* AffablyEvil: Proteus seems genuinely concerned about Susan's mental and physical wellness despite the horrible things he does to her. Not surprisingly as he needs her to birth his child/avatar.

''Demon Seed'' was a 1974 novel by DeanKoontz, and later made into a film in 1977 staring JulieChristie.

!!Both book and the film provides examples of:

* [[spoiler: BackupTwin]]: When Proteus's [[spoiler: child is born. It appears to be clone of Susan's deceased daughter. Proteus might have done this deliberately so that Susan wouldn't try to kill her once born.]]

* PinocchioSyndrome: Proteus is a computer. He can't experience the world. He wants true life, and his settle for producing a perfect human child that will have his personality.