Film: Nightmares in Red, White and Blue

Director: Andrew Monument
Genre: Documentary
Source: USA (2009)
Rating: R
Location/Format: Netflix Instant Watch
Grade: C+

Nightmares in Red, White and Blue does not break any new ground about the meaning or importance of horror films, but it does serve as a nice overview of why the genre continues to speak to viewers today--even (and sometimes particularly) viewers who should have "grown out" of the teenage thrills of the genre (chills, erotic thrills, and blood spills). In fact, director Monument (and creepy-voiced narrator Lance Henriksen) remind us, horror continues to thrive because it reflects, both directly and indirectly, the fears and concerns of its era. Whether it's the bomb, teenage risk-taking, or consumer culture, the best horror films have the power to show us the distorted fun-house mirror of the age in which it's produced.

That's not a new concept, but it does bear repeating, and Nightmares does a good job hitting the high points, while also serving as an overview of the changing face of horror over the years. Yes there is more blood and more nudity (especially in the 80s), but there are other changes as well. What monsters are we afraid of? One interview subject suggests that our fears can always be broken into two kinds: As we're sitting around the campfire, are we afraid of what's out there in the dark, or are we afraid of who might be sitting in our circle? And that sums it up nicely. Is the real source of fear the Other, the Unknown, or is it Ourselves? He who fights monsters, Nietzsche reminds us, should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. Horror films allow us to explore both sides of that equation.

I can't tell if it was the quality of my Netflix connection at the gym where I was watching it or if it was the film itself, but it definitely has a bit of a cheap feel to it. The video quality and text effects looked very "90s computer software" to my eyes, but if the visuals of the documentary aren't very good, there's still plenty of meat to back it up. Interviews with a lot of major forces in the genre--from John Carpenter to George Romero--and clips from a number of really significant films really do elevate the material, so content was solid even if production quality wasn't.

Ultimately, it's a nice intro for someone with an interest in the history of US film horror, and it provides a nice intro to film analysis of this particular genre. Probably worth a look for film or horror aficionados.