Dementia, also known in a slightly re-cut form as Daughter of Horror opens across the U.S. in 1955. The experimental film noir horror film follows a young woman waking up in a cheap hotel room and through a L.A. skid-row night and features no dialogue, only some narration by a young, pre-Tonight Show Ed McMahon. Banned in New York and Britain, the metaphorical examination of violence against women also used a promotional stunt, requiring audience members to be examined by “heart specialists” to determine if they could survive the movie. Though it divided critical opinion and audiences, it remains a cult horror film.
This Day in Halloween: The experimental film noir horror film "Dementia," also known as "Daughter of Horror" opens across the U.S. in 1955. / Illustration by Julian Turonis