Directors: Nicolas Kleiman, Rob Lindsay
Writers: Rob Lindsay, Rob Lindsay
Stars: Alexandre Aja, Chris Alexander, Dave Alexander
Run Time: 1 Hour, 21 Minutes
Link: https://amzn.to/2MX4YMP
Synopsis
One of the opening lines asks the viewer, “What is it about horror that makes fans react the way they do?” Tal Zimmerman, horror fan, explains why he and so many others love the horror genre.
There are interviews with directors, philosophers, artists, actors, anthropologists, writers, and about everyone else involved with the genre.
At one point, Tal gets into an MRI machine and watches horror films to see what it does to the brain. Turns out, watching horror is a tension reliever.
There’s a section on how Halloween has influenced and corrupted the Mexican Day of the Dead holiday; why would you make an offering to a creature that wants to kill you? Then it moves into the gothic horror novels of the 18th century. This continues up to the video boom of the 80s and how suddenly a giant theatrical distributor was no longer a necessity. Now, with streaming and videogames, the market is larger than ever.
Commentary
“We don’t kill people for fun anymore. Now we create movies that kill people.” I was expecting a fairly standard documentary with a lot of film clips, but this is actually really about what the title says. Why do people like this scary stuff?
Tal Zimmweman mostly talks about himself and his own childhood, which, I guess, is entertaining for him and his mother, but my childhood was nothing like that, so it’s hard to relate, and I’m sure his experience isn’t even close to typical. I’d say a full quarter to a third of the film is about him and not horror in itself.
There’s not really a lot to describe about the film, but if you are interested in an introspective and psychological and entertainment reasons as to why someone might be a horror fan, then this one is worth watching.