The American Nightmare (2001)

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

The acting in this movie is really good.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

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.

The 1970s are considered by many to have been a golden age of Amrican film-making in general; but the were arguably also a golden age of American horror films, with many classics of the genre dating from this time. 'The American Nightmare' considers some of these movies in the engaging and thoughtful company of some of those who made them; and also of John Landis, who sadly gets most screen time although the enthusiasm he has for his own words is in inverse proportion to the interest of what he has to say. But I don't quite buy the argument presented that these movies amounted to social commentary: they can be quite scary, and they may borrow their imagery from Vietnam or the civil rights movement, but their fundamental silliness is completely ignored in this reverent discussion. Personally, I think most of the films considered here are good, after a fashion; but scarcely serious. So don't watch this film for the most profound of analysis. But if you want to learn why Tobe Hooper made 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (and so on), it's unmissable viewing.

I caught this on IFC and it's one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. This is not only for the huge horror fan, but it's also for fans of movies period. American Nightmare goes deep and discovers what helped these classic directors create their films. Interviews with legends like George Romero, Tom Savini, David Cronenberg, Wes Craven, Tobe Hooper,and John Carpenter. Some really interesting facts are mentioned, like Hooper's idea for Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Savini's Vietnam days, etc. The overall theme of the documentary is how the horrors of real life effected the directors. Things like the Vietnam war, Kennedy's assassination, the Cold War were all things that helped inspire some of the greatest films in cinematic history. Another great thing about this documentary is it takes you back to a time of when people knew how to make horror movies. I am only 18 (as of this review, 2004) and was not around during these eras. It's really nice to see what it was like back then. I would recommend this for anyone who is a movie fan. I'd especially recommend this to kids who flock to see the latest butchered remake of classics or CGI-running-zombie-crapfests that come out these days. 10/10

The American Nightmare is a very interesting ( and even educational ) documentary that explains us a bit more the more "politically incorrect" milestones in horror such as Last House on the Left, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Night of the Living Dead. For those who already worship these movies, the documentary is a nice way to discover a large amount of trivia elements and the sequences shown are terrific eye-candy. But...to those who always considered these movies to be perverted and unethical, this documentary is a real eye-opener! Adam Simon lets the masters of American horror explain themselves about their motivations and inspiration to shoot these movies. And so we learn that these motion pictures often are a direct consequence of real-life horror and social trauma's. For example, we see George A. Romero explain what influence the assassination Martin Luther King had on his movie, how it was the Vietnam war that influenced Tom Savini to scare people with his photography and how the violent student riots shocked Wes Craven. A real pleasure to observe is also Tobe Hooper explaining how the complete script of Texas Chainsaw Massacre developed in his mind. The American Nightmare is a mixture of some of the best footage, interviews with legendary directors and an overload of psychological explanations by University professors. Some points of view of these profs are rather interesting, but most theories they're trying to sell are just way over the top and far-fetched. The directors all are cooler than cool when they get interviewed. Especially George Romero makes a big impression and John Landis is fun to watch, since he's so enthusiastic about what he does and worships.Surely recommended to everyone who's interested about the origin of groundbreaking horror and milestones. The American Nightmare can for example be found on the double-disc special edition DVD of The Hills Have Eyes.