The American Nightmare (2000)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Adam Simon

Writer:

Adam Simon (writer)

Release Date:

20 July 2003 (Austria)

Genre:

Documentary | Horror

Tagline:

A celebration of Films from Horror's Golden Age of Fright.

Plot:

An examination into the nature of 1960's-70's horror films, the involved artists, and how they reflected contemporary society.

Plot Keywords:

1960s | Film Maker | Film Making | Vietnam War | Art

Cast

John Carpenter	...	Himself
Carol J. Clover	...	Herself
Wes Craven	...	Himself
David Cronenberg	...	Himself
Tom Gunning	...	Himself
Tobe Hooper	...	Himself
John Landis	...	Himself
Adam Lowenstein	...	Himself
George A. Romero	...	Himself
Tom Savini	...	Himself

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Australia:R | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Company:

Minerva Pictures

Trivia:

Packaged as an extra on the Region 2 release of Wes Craven's The Hills Have Eyes (1977).

Quotes:

Wes Craven: I think there is something about the "American Dream", the sort of Disneyesque dream if you will of the beautifully trimmed front lawn, the white picket fence, mom and dad and their happy children, god fearing and doing good whenever they can; that sort of expectation, and the flipside of it, the kind of anger and the sense of outrage that comes from discovering that that's not the truth of the matter, I think that gives American horror films in some ways kind of an additional rage...

Movie Connections:

References Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972)

Soundtrack:

Moya

Superb documentary regarding the horror film industry.

Back before the dire imitators, genuinely superb horror films used to be made - horror films that represented the nation's feelings. One of the best examples is "Night of the Living Dead" and the Civil Rights movement metaphors.

Adam Simon's documentary is amazing in the fact that it manages to interview some of the greatest horror directors (George A. Romero, John Landis, Tom Savini, Wes Craven, David Cronenberg, et al) and examine what their films REALLY meant.

Admittedly I'm not a huge fan of the horror genre, but I love the horror masterpieces. This documentary covers every film I can imagine that represents greatness - it's definitely worth a look, especially if you're a fan of the films it encompasses (check out IMDb's references page for more info).