And somewhere, in a storage unit that had been scrubbed clean, a single film canister with Marla's handwriting remains unaccounted for. On the label, in faded Sharpie: "If found, play loud."

The first shock came when Marla opened a steel locker filled with rusty film canisters. "These are the dailies from Demon Dog ," she said. "1978. We shot for 18 days. The lead actor, Tommy Ritz, was a coke fiend. The director, Hal Benson, was a drunk. The producer was the Mob."

Leo’s camera operator, a young woman named Priya, whispered, "The Mob?"