BangPOP!

Reprinted from The Maine Edge:

BangPOP! will be screening two documentary films at its second annual BangPOP! Comic and Pop Culture Convention this weekend, Sept. 19...

"Nightmares in Red White and Blue" is a look back at American horror films, with interviews from the industry's most prominent names in blood and guts and a discussion of how the films have evolved through the years. The documentary covers the early days of American cinema, from the earliest monster movies and speculative fiction up until the "Saw" franchise and torture-porn of today. The directors and writers talk about the nature of fear, how the films reflect the collective fears of the nation and how it is reflected on the silver screen, from threats of nuclear warfare and fallout from radiation to stranger fears and paranoia. As our national fears changed, so did the monsters on the screen.

Few things are as fascinating to analyze as what scares us and why. Seeing the evolution of fear in this grisly documentary has the dual effect of making you want to reeducate yourself in the horrible and watch all the films that have inspired the masters of the macabre to date. Since this film covers everything that makes horror great (gore, sex and violence) it's not for the faint of heart and I sure wouldn't recommend it for kids. But it's a fascinating documentary and a must-see for any fan of fear.

"Nightmares" will be shown at 4 p.m. on Sept. 19.