Synopsis
An examination into the nature of 1960's-70's horror films, the involved artists, and how they reflected contemporary society.
The American Nightmare
Cast
George A. Romero John Carpenter Tom Savini David Cronenberg Wes Craven Tobe Hooper John Landis Tom Gunning Carol J. Clover Adam Lowenstein Evelyn Ankers Kirsten Bishop Marilyn Burns Bill Cardille Cynthia Carr Nick Castle Marilyn Chambers Lon Chaney Jr. Jamie Lee Curtis Allen Danziger Fred Döderlein John Dugan Marilyn Eastman Samantha Eggar John Michael Graham Lucy Grantham Paul Hampton Gunnar Hansen Karl Hardman Show All…
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Releases by Date
Theatrical
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CanadaPG
09 Feb 2001
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USAR
Releases by Country
Canada
11 Sep 2000
- TheatricalPG
USA
09 Feb 2001
- TheatricalR
Popular reviews
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Does a nice job tying horror into the cultural anxieties of the mid 20th century. Not the most surprising take to see Romero's zombies likened to consumers but I can't deny that seeing him laugh and say "they're us!" is welcome on my screen. Carpenter is a blast as always and Cronenberg is exactly as weird and socially distant as you want him to be but Hooper is a sort of the star of the show for me. He has the perfect amount of screws loose. Any less and you wouldn't notice but any more and you could write him off. It's uncanny. You narrow your eyes just a little when he's talking. Between these guys and the Godspeed You…
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"Mothra didn't scare me. Godzilla didn't scare me. It's people that I'm afraid of."
- Tobe HooperInteresting overview of horror movies through the 60s and 70s with a focus on Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Living Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Last House on the Left, Halloween and Shivers and how they related to society at the time. Short enough that it doesn't overstay its welcome but not long enough to get too in depth so it mainly sticks to more well known movies. It's hard to complain when it's loaded with interviews with people like Romero, Cronenberg, Craven, Hooper, Savini and Carpenter though. My main takeaway is that I really need to finally get around to seeing Shivers.
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Pardon the generalisation for the moment there, but are there any directors collectively more thoughtful and well-spoken than horror directors? Wes Craven, George Romero, John Carpenter, John Landis - I could listen to them talk for hours.
This is a thought-provoking, if somewhat shoddily-made (either made-for-TV or included-as-DVD-featurette), documentary that considers how current events of the 60s and 70s influenced several key horror films, even if I have trouble considering Cronenberg as solely a horror director.
Doesn't dig overly deep, but if you're interested in 20th century American History, it does get your brain going, and the influence of the Vietnam war on the horror genre is definitely something that I'd like to hear more about.
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THE AMERICAN NIGHTMARE is a interesting conversation on the link between what's happening in society in the late 60s and the 1970s and the emerging horror voice of the time. Romero, Cronenberg, Craven, Hooper, Carpenter, and a few academics make connections between the news events of the day and the discomforting elements that eke their way into these filmmakers' films.
Tom Savini's discussions about his days in Viet Nam are particularly impactful and moving. Not only does he talk about sectioning off part of his brain to process things (using a camera as a protective filter between him and the real-life atrocities of war), but he also frames a young generation who are experiencing horror and who are willing to…
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"Mothra didn't scare me. Godzilla didn't scare me. It's people that I'm afraid of." - Tobe Hooper
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Definitely more interesting than it would seem to be on the surface. This isn't just another re-hash of the same basic film history that's been discussed time and time again. These interviews cut to extremely personal core of horror, and specifically American horror of the 1960s-70s. And even more specifically, the horror of a handful of legends.
By allowing itself to focus more on the specificity of these works and creators, it gives a chance to let it all breathe. We don't need to brush this topic aside so we can talk about every horror film that left an impact, but rather can explore the nuance behind how a piece of work (or the person who made it) came to…
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really pleasantly surprised by this one ! ( tony perkins is listed in the credits and i dont think they even mentioned a movie he was in )
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Neat stitching together of footage from real world horror and horror film footage.
Some fantastic and classic clips.
I absolutely loved the story that Tobe Hooper tells about being in the hardware department of a Montgomery Ward's and his inspiration for Texas Chainsaw. Priceless.
"It's people that I'm afraid of"
My favorite segment was George Romero talking about the 70s. Dawn of the Dead was probably my first, and it's definitely my favorite of his.
The gluttony of having everything...
"We're the living dead"
Enjoyed Tom Savini's insights about his work and the influences the Vietnam War had on it.
Cronenburg's discussion on "derailing biology" and societal metaphors has some unsurprisingly striking relevancy.
My man Wes Craven, as well as… -
This Adam Simon(CARNOSAUR,BODY CHEMISTRY 2) directed 70 minute documentary on modern horror cinema and how it spawned from the Vietnam war era to become the powerful force that it is today is fully explored,complete with interviews from top horror filmmakers John Carpenter,John Landis,David Cronenberg,and the late trio of George Romero,Wes Craven,and Tobe Hooper,as well as make-up effects maestro Tom Savini as they each discuss the meaning of modern horror and how the Vietnam era played a major influence upon it,as well as various psychiatrists and college based psychology teachers discussing the psychological obsession with horror cinema,the latter which I don't see horror that way since I mainly see horror(and horror cinema) as both a fascinating and enjoyably fun cinema(and subject) to thoroughly enjoy. With plenty of various commentaries on the social,sexual,and political influences upon modern horror(of the late 60s and the 70s),THE AMERICAN NIGHTMARE is a horror documentary is truly worth checking out.
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Truly fantastic and insightful doc about the horror movies of the late 60s and early 70s. About how these movies especially connected to and came out of the social upheaval of those times. It's just great to hear people like Tobe Hooper, George Romero, Wes Craven and David Cronenberg muse intelligently about horror movies and how they connect psychological and philosophical with human society and human existence on a whole. These filmmakers might not have known exactly what they where tapping into unconsciously while making these films, but they are really articulate about it in hindsight.
The doc does not only put these interesting voices together, but manages to create a truly fascinating, almost apocalyptic atmosphere intercutting news footage with clips from the films and underscoring them with music by God Speed You Black Emperor.
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Anybody who knows me can tell you that I am not a fan of horror/scary genre movies and that I am actually terrified of them, but this documentary, The American Nightmare was one of the most horrific things for me to watch and I shall explain why.
Tom Savini, a special effects producer, stated in this documentary that while he was taking photos and filming in Vietnam, that fear was shown in his work so well because of the horrors occurring during the war. Later he would use this fear to create the effects of his movies, and this terrifies me. Being able to create the effects of horrific horror movies from actual events that you have witnessed makes this…
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First I will go a bit off topic. Right after I watched this I went shopping and on my way back I heard some drums playing, a wedding group then left a building on the other side of the street, some were walking on the street and kept beating the drums. A moment later one of those motherfuckers pulled out a gun and started shooting in the air. The police precinct is like two streets away, I hope all of them are fucked now. Like two years ago I lived at another place in this city there was also a car convoy of newly weds and those pieces of shit also drove by my apartment and were shooting in the…
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