This is a good documentary but not great. I wish the film had been organized according to chronological order, discussing the relationship between the history of the 1960s and '70s and numerous horror films. What we get,unfortunately, is a discussion with a few directors and a few select horror films ("Night of the Living Dead," "Shivers," "Last House on the Left," "Dawn of the Dead," "Halloween"). Those horror films are related to the decades in question, but I never felt as if we went beyond a surface exploration. I will admit, however, that I have read numerous books on horror film, so most 90-minute docs aren't going to be able to encapsulate my breadth of knowledge. However, if you're a horror fan, you'll probably enjoy this.

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.

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).