Directed by:
Adam SimonScreenplay:
Adam SimonCast:
Tom Savini, David Cronenberg, John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper, George A. Romero, John Landis, Wes Craven, Fred Doederlein, Evelyn Ankers (a.f.) (more)Plots(1)
Legendary horror directors reveal the inspirations behind their groundbreaking films of the 1960s and '70s in this thought-provoking documentary from filmmaker Adam Simon. Through film clips and interviews, masters of mayhem George Romero, Tobe Hooper, Wes Craven, David Cronenberg, John Landis, John Carpenter, and Tom Savini discuss how their disturbing cinematic creations were a direct social commentary on the real-life political horrors happening in the U.S. during that turbulent era, including Vietnam, the Cold War, racial segregation, political assassinations, and the Kent State shootings. By placing seminal films like NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, SHIVERS, THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, and THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE in their proper historical context, THE AMERICAN NIGHTMARE finally gives the horror genre the credit it so rightly deserves as a barometer of the American sociopolitical landscape. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
Tom Savini
USA
Best movies:
Django Unchained (2012)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
Dawn of the Dead (2004)
David Cronenberg
Canada
Best movies:
The Fly (1986)
The Judge (2001) (TV movie)
Last Night (1998)
John Carpenter
USA
Tobe Hooper
USA
Best movies:
Coming to America (1988)
Body Bags (1993) (TV movie)
Sleepwalkers (1992)
George A. Romero
USA
Best movies:
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
John Landis
USA
Best movies:
Michael Jackson: Video Greatest Hits - HIStory (1995) (video compilation)
Dangerous: The Short Films (1993) (video compilation)
Kelly's Heroes (1970)
Wes Craven
USA
Best movies:
Scream (1996)
Paris, I Love You (2006)
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
Fred Doederlein
France
Best movies:
Shivers (1975)
Scanners (1981)
The Hotel New Hampshire (1984)
Evelyn Ankers (a.f.)
Chile
Best movies:
The Pearl of Death (1944)
The Wolf Man (1941)
Fire Over England (1937)
Lon Chaney Jr. (a.f.)
USA
Best movies:
The Defiant Ones (1958)
Of Mice and Men (1939)
Love Is News (1937)
Jamie Lee Curtis (a.f.)
USA
Best movies:
Knives Out (2019)
8 (2012) (theatrical recording)
Trading Places (1983)
Samantha Eggar (a.f.)
UK
Best movies:
The Magic Voyage (1992)
Hercules (1997)
Columbo (1971) (series)
Marilyn Chambers (a.f.)
USA
Best movies:
Still Insatiable (1999)
Rabid (1977)
The Owl and the Pussycat (1970)
Robert F. Kennedy (a.f.)
USA
Best movies:
The Doors (1991) - a.f.
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020) - a.f.
Bobby (2006) - a.f.
Boris Karloff (a.f.)
UK
Best movies:
The General (1926)
Scarface (1932)
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Martin Luther King (a.f.)
USA
Best movies:
Dangerous: The Short Films (1993) (video compilation)
JFK (1991)
The Doors (1991) - a.f.
Russell Streiner (a.f.)
USA
Best movies:
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Horrible Horror (1986) - a.f.
Night of the Living Dead (1990)
Kyra Schon (a.f.)
USA
Best movies:
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated (2009) - a.f.
Charles Craig (a.f.)
USA
Best movies:
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Chasing Dreams (1982)
George Kosana (a.f.)
USA
Best movies:
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Horrible Horror (1986) - a.f.
Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated (2009) - a.f.