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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Certificate:

Not Rated

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: Run, daughter of horror, run from your crime. But behind you, the policeman with the face of your father, the face of your first victim. Pursuing you relentlessly in your haunted brain. Hunting you mercilessly through the twisted corridors of your tortured mind. The horror that will track you down. The horror that can destroy you. Run, run, run!... Guilty, guilty, guilty!

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Alternate Versions

The 2000 DVD release by Kino Video features both versions of the film.

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Connections

Referenced in American Grindhouse (2010)

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Soundtracks

Wig Alley
Music by Shorty Rogers

User Reviews

Great movie-especially music

I saw this great movie in error in 1972. Dementia 13 by Coppola was ordered and Dementia (Daughter of Horror) showed up. I was particularly impressed by the brilliant score by Antheil and sung by Marnie Nixon, later the voice of Maria in the movie West Side Story.

Interesting note - In the original movie, The Blob, it is the movie being shown in the movie theater when the kids run in to find their friends.

The style of Dementia was captivating and created a surreal mood. For those interested in obscure horror films, well worth seeing.

After originally seeing it it took almost 10 years to even find a reference to it (partially because of the two names). I finally got a copy of Dementia around 10 years ago and can now appreciate it whenever I choose.