It's probably okay, it is my error for expecting a different type of documentary on horror films in 'The American Nightmare.' Yes, I was expecting and hoping to see 'Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film' (which was a great documentary, by the way, with more than dozens of clips and interesting background info,) but instead got a history lesson on America's trouble times and the horror genre. Yes, we get a few horror clips, but only from probably five movies, and two of which were in the same series 'Night of the Living Dead' and its sequel 'Dawn of the Dead.' This 'Nightmare' doc was specifically made to show the parallels with the real world and horror cinema (not sure why either Wes Craven's other hugely under budget 'The Hills Have Eyes' and 'Godzilla' were excluded, but whatever) so they really should've have wasted time on both 'Dead' one and two. They should've just included #2 and brought in another movie such as the dozens of eco-friendly/horror films made since the 1970s (heck, even 'The Stuff' had some kind of message and mirrored the times.) Glad it was only 73 minutes, and it was mildly informative (I did somewhat enjoy hearing how the film creators came up with ideas,) but, still, hardly recommended. There are dozens of more horror film documentaries to check out. Start with 'Going to Pieces' for die-hard horror fans.
Review of The American Nightmare
