Despite its grizzy and disturbing subject matter, The American Nightmare manages to be an intriguing small scale documentary that may be of interest to movie goersThe American Nightmare examines a collection of horror flicks of the 60's and 70's and some of the ways in which they reflect the American culture at the time, It features a handful of the great horror directors including, Craven, Romero, Carpenter and Cronenberg (who is the smartest in the movie), as well as the opinions of several other filmmakers and college professors. Like all documentaries, this one has a bias. I feel that it over praises these horror flicks, and the explanation it gives for their brilliance is only partially true. Horror films may reflect society, but they do it in a very misanthropic way.I would say that this is Adam Simon's smartest film (not just because it is a documentary). Simon makes geeky cult films like 'Brain Dead' and 'Carnosaur' both of which are even more off-putting than this film. The way in which he structures American Nightmare to look abstract and jumbled might be distracting, but there is a scene of creativity to it. In fact, I would say that the movie is more creative than it is educational, nevertheless there are some things that can be learned from this strange documentary, but you have to approach it with an open mind.

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).

This excellent and entertaining documentary examines the deeper meanings behind some of the most disturbing films from the 1960's and 1970's. Director interviews are intermixed with footage from their films as well as news footage from the era to provide a bit more insight than is usually provided to horror movies. A great documentary that gives deeper meaning to many of the most popular horrific films of these turbulent decades. Very interesting and informative and just might make you look at all horror films in a new light.

As my summary states, this great piece highlights the documentary as an art form and not a clip show, or 'greatest-hits' package. The filmmaker takes his primary thesis - North American horror films of the 60's and 70's and how they relate to the events of the time, and builds it beautifully. Using exclusive interviews, great film clips, and wonderful behind-the-scenes photos, the filmmaker paints a stunning, and slightly disturbing, picture. I've seen, heard, and read many things about the featured filmmakers before, but this documentary managed to mine fresh and very interesting anecdotes and insight. My one complaint echoes that of another reviewer in wishing that this was longer. My one hope is that someone makes this available to home video so I can see it again and share it with others.