Dementia: Daughter of Horror (1955)

John J. Parker's wonderfully unsettling first film has been unavailable in its original form since its release. Until the release of this video, it had been seen only in a heavily edited version titled DAUGHTER OF HORROR, which is also included in this release, with narration by Ed McMahon. The original version of the film is completely silent, excepting the eerie George Antheil score, and follows a dreamlike twisted logic as it details the existence of a tormented young woman, Gamin, who is clearly insane. Waking from a night in a cheap hotel, Gamin goes on a hellish journey through skid row, where she experiences many nightmarish encounters with pimps, winos, molesters, and other unsavory characters. Increasingly haunted by remembrances of her tormented childhood, Gamin moves deeper into her dementia as the night wears on, transforming into a knife wielding bohemian who despises men.