Cheap Daughter of Horror (DVD) (John Parker) Price

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Customer Reviews of Daughter of Horror

Flawed yet fascinating film; DVD has everything you need
Like others, I had read about this film for years, and seen the clips in The Blob, but never actually saw the whole movie until buying this DVD. It's such an anachronism, coming from the early 1950s, that it took a couple of viewings for me to be able to be objective about it. Compared to 99% of movies of its time it's quite avant-garde, from it's lurid content to its circular, dreamlike story structure, its complete lack of dialogue, expressionist use of photography and locations, Freudian symbolism, etc. There are moments of brilliance, and comparisons to Bunuel, Cocteau, Lynch, and Welles are not wholly unwarranted. (Is it possible that David Lynch never saw the 'chicken eating' scene?) On the downside, it suffers in some of the same ways that other low-budget indies of the time do, particularly in the pacing and the acting. The female lead in particular (the director's neice) just doesn't have any charisma whatsoever, and she and others mug broadly at times, attempting to convey emotion and plot without words. This could have been a landmark film with a capable actress in the lead. As it is, it's an extremely interesting experiment that also holds up to multiple viewings. John Parker definitely gets an A for effort, daring, and vision. The execution's just a little uneven.
Kino's DVD presents both the silent, unedited Dementia and the minimally narrated, edited Daughter of Horror. I found the narrated version not necessarily much worse (except of course for the cuts) but just different in tone, more 'campy.' Purists will probably stick with the original cut. The supplements include a trailer (for Daughter of Horror), still gallery, and detailed production history. The prints show some light speckling, but otherwise exhibit very good tonal values, sharpness, and detail. This movie is not for everyone, but if you're into avant-garde, film noir, B&W 50s indies, exploitation, or offbeat horror you'll probably find it rewarding.

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A Licorice-Whip for the Soul
The film stands as the somewhat illegitimate heir of the Avant Garde movement, picking up near where Maya Deren's hallucinatory "Meshes in the Afternoon" leaves off. The connection is strengthened by the incredible score by Avant Garde composer Georges Anthiel. Though some of the heavier handed scenes falter a bit (the graveyard scene reminds me of the nightmare sequence in Glen or Glenda . . . and not simply because of the cinematographer) there are many sequences which are as brilliant and sharp as the gamin's switchblade. Who can forget, for example, the sudden shattering of the mother's image in the mirror, or the scene when Bruno VeSota tumbles from the window into the darkness, his money a comet's tail in the night, or, in one of the several night-club scenes, he ogles the dancer in a series of ever-closer cuts reminiscent of the best of Hitchcock's editing style. The late-night chicken supper scene is horrifying in ways simply Not Done in the 50's.

The way to view this disk is to watch "Dementia" first (sans the hokey narration by Ed McMahon) just for the sheer pleasure of experiencing this rambling, troubled dream. Then, for completeness sake, watch "Daughter of Horror" the slightly different version with the narration added. It's like the difference between Tod Browning's "Dracula" as originally filmed and as alternatively scored by modern composer, Philip Glass. It's the same, but different! Each version brings out different values and points of view, and each is valid . . . in it's own way.

The background material about the film's legal battles was really fascinating, and added much to my appreciation of the disk. For fans of the unusual, Dementia delivers the goods. It is a midnight-flavored jelly bean, a licorice-whip for the soul which can be enjoyed again and again. Not one word is spoken - not one terror left untold!!!

Watch With: Films of Maya Deren, films of Kenneth Anger (especially Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome), Glen or Glenda, D.O.A. (Edmond O'Brien vers.), Touch of Evil, The Blob (original) or Mother Riley Meets The Vampire (aka My Son, The Vampire), it's original midnight-movie co-feature per the scene in The Blob. In The Blob, the Daughter of Horror clip is, strangely enough, presented with right and left reversed, so seeing that section in it's original context for the first time is a little disorienting, but there again -- it's the same, but different.

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A Licorice-Whip for the Soul
I first encountered this film many years ago, as part of the "midnight spook-show" sequence in the original "The Blob". Later, in Re-Search's "Incredibly Strange Films", I was finally able to put a title with the images. Years and several cheesy VHS copies later, I was thrilled to discover this film on DVD! Imagine . . . Daughter of Horror (a.k.a. Dementia) on DVD in a plush and plummy collector's edition!

The film stands as the somewhat illegitimate heir of the Avant Garde movement, picking up near where Maya Deren's hallucinatory "Meshes in the Afternoon" leaves off. The connection is strengthened by the incredible score by Avant Garde composer Georges Anthiel. Though some of the heavier handed scenes falter a bit (the graveyard scene reminds me of the nightmare sequence in Glen or Glenda . . . and not simply because of the cinematographer) there are many sequences which are as brilliant and sharp as the gamin's switchblade. Who can forget, for example, the sudden shattering of the mother's image in the mirror, or the scene when Bruno VeSota tumbles from the window into the darkness, his money a comet's tail in the night, or, in one of the several night-club scenes, he ogles the dancer in a series of ever-closer cuts reminiscent of the best of Hitchcock's editing style. The late-night chicken supper scene is horrifying in ways simply Not Done in the 50's.

The way to view this disk is to watch "Dementia" first (sans the hokey narration by Ed McMahon) just for the sheer pleasure of experiencing this rambling, troubled dream. Then, for completeness sake, watch "Daughter of Horror" the slightly different version with the narration added. It's like the difference between Tod Browning's "Dracula" as originally filmed and as alternatively scored by modern composer, Philip Glass. It's the same, but different! Each version brings out different values and points of view, and each is valid . . . in it's own way.

The background material about the film's legal battles was really fascinating, and added much to my appreciation of the disk.

For fans of the unusual, Dementia delivers the goods. It is a midnight-flavored jelly bean, a licorice-whip for the soul which can be enjoyed again and again. Not one word is spoken - not one terror left untold!!!

Watch With: Films of Maya Deren, films of Kenneth Anger (especially Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome), Glen or Glenda, D.O.A. (Edmond O'Brien vers.), Touch of Evil, The Blob (original) or Mother Riley Meets The Vampire (aka My Son, The Vampire), it's original midnight-movie co-feature per the scene in The Blob. In The Blob, the Daughter of Horror clip is, strangely enough, presented with right and left reversed, so seeing that section in it's original context for the first time is a little disorienting, but there again -- it's the same, but different.