Dementia (1955)

This film, with no dialogue at all, follows a psychotic young woman's nightmarish experiences through one skid-row night.

Director:

John Parker (uncredited)

Stars:

Adrienne Barrett, Bruno VeSota, Ben Roseman

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Adrienne Barrett	...	The Gamin
Bruno VeSota	...	Rich Man (as Bruno Ve Sota)
Ben Roseman	...	Law Enforcer / Father
Richard Barron	...	Evil One
Ed Hinkle	...	Butler (as Edward Hinkle)
Lucille Rowland	...	Mother (as Lucille Howland)
Jebbie VeSota	...	Flower Girl (as Jebbie Ve Sota)
Faith Parker	...	Nightclub Dancer
Gayne Sullivan	...	Wino
Shorty Rogers	...	Shorty Rogers (as Shorty Rogers and His Giants)

Storyline

As the narrator invites us to explore the horrors of an insane mind, a young woman wakes from a nightmare in a cheap hotel room. We follow her through the skid-row night and encounters with an abusive husband; a wino; a pimp and the rich man he panders for; a flashback to her traumatic childhood; violence; pursuit through dark streets; dementia. Filmed in film-noir style throughout; only the narrator speaks.

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Plot Keywords:

no dialogue | experimental film | cult film | surrealism | hallucination | 

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Taglines:

BLOOD on her hands...DOOM in her eyes...

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Genres:

Film-Noir | Horror | Mystery

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 December 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

Daughter of Horror

Filming Locations:

Windward Avenue, Venice, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

H.K.F. Productions,J.J. Parker Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

56 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie was inspired by a dream of Adrienne Barrett, John Parker's secretary, who stars in the film. As Barrett was not an actress, Bruno VeSota states he tricked her into performing by various means, including tickling her feet with a feather (for laughter) and unexpectedly shooting a blank at her (for shock). According to VeSota, the film was originally intended to be a 10 minute short, and the majority of the film was fleshed out by him by conceiving one shock after another, and he therefore considers himself the uncredited screenwriter. VeSota also claims to have directed at least half the film, and to have guided John Parker in directing the rest. This is according to part of an interview between VeSota and Barry Brown for an unpublished article in Castle of Frankenstein film magazine, as summarized in the August 1980 issue of Heavy Metal magazine by Bhob Stewart.

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Quotes

Narrator: Yes... I am here, the demon who possesses your soul. Wait a bit. I'm coming for you, I have so much to show you!

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Connections

Referenced in Blobermouth (1991)

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Soundtracks

Wig Alley
Music by Shorty Rogers

User Reviews

Great

I orginally saw Dementia in 1972 at the Orson Welles Cinema in Cambridge Mass. It was there in error since Coppola's Dementia 13 was on the bill. What a treat. I requested return engagements after that and could find no reference to Dementia for years. Finally, at the library of arts at Lincoln Center in New York I found the history including the alternate title Daughter of Horror. I finally got a copy of the film about 6 years ago. Still one of my favorites. Particularly because of the music and the fabulous singing of Marnie Nixon (voice of Maria in West Side Story and other films. A brilliant film by John Parker - who may actually be Bruno Vesota. Unknown piece of information. He of course is famous for such classics as The Brain Eaters and Attack of the Giant Leeches. Seriously, Dementia is a great movie and displays a sophistication of production that belies its obvious lack of a substantial budget.