Reviews

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.

Despite cheesy dialog and a Skywalker who really doesn't seem to be anywhere near capable of becoming Darth Vader, it is still a very, very good movie. Great technical achievement, and alot of fun to watch. The story is very good, particularly since it is part of the Star Wars epic. Don't pay much attention to the critics who want the grand statement from a fictional space opera. Just go and enjoy it.

I couldn't believe how bad this movie was, after anticipating an enjoyable perspective of a time in French history. Elton John? The Beatles? Late 19th century France? Decadence? Consumption a la "La Boheme"? Dizzying photography in the name of creativity? What were the producers of this disaster thinking? After about an hour and a half that was it. I had to shut it off. What a waste of some very talented actors. Well at least they are working.

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.

An excellent movie made even better by a bizarre situation. On opening night I went with my son to see Man in the Moon because we have been Kaufman fans. He was brilliant in Taxi and in many Saturday Night Live routines. We were aware of his disasters but enjoyed the fact that you couldn't tell if it was the act or just a bomb. During the crucial scene when Kaufman announces that he has cancer, the film started rolling and finally white light shone at the screen. After about 5 minutes people began wondering if the film break was real or just part of the movie. People were screaming out "I'll bet it is part of the film" Others shouted "No, the film is broken". After about 15 minutes people were offered free passes because indeed the film had broken. (I wouldn't be surprised if a Kaufman fan had somehow sabotaged the projector). Indeed, if the director had actually decided to end the film that way, it would have been brilliant -a 10 rating! Anyway, we have yet to see the last 15 minutes, but enjoyed the film. Kaufman would have been thrilled with the situation as we saw it.