The American Nightmare (2000)

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 | Racism | Vietnam War | Art | Film Maker

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

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 House (1986)

Soundtrack:

Moya

THE best documentary on horror films...EVER!

if your a horror fan (especially on in your mid to late 30s)and you wonder why... here's the answer.

as i sat here watching american nightmare, i nodded and nodded as i remembered my childhood and the constant nightmares and fear of the end of the world, death, and the catholic theories of a fire and brimstone afterlife. the constant threat of atomic wars, hidden under our schoolchairs as we had air-raid drills. even when it was vacation time at school, the automatic drills echoed in the background once a month. i lived within walking distance and would often go to the schoolyard during vacation times to play there with others.

the most frightening sound in the world is not the screams of michael myers' victims or the ripping of zombie flesh, but the eerie sound of an air-raid sirien going off in a virtualy empty playground mixed with the squeak of swings, the wind, and the "ting" of the empty flag pole.....