It’s no easy feat to create a new dedication to “Night of the Living Dead” that doesn’t feel rehashed or regurgitated from other documentaries. Rob Kuhn’s documentary had every chance to be just a summary of “Document of the Dead,” but thankfully is a fresh and very entertaining look at the horror film that changed the world. Director Kuhns doesn’t just explore how “Night of the Living Dead” changed horror films, but how it changed the pop culture and American landscape for fifty years after its release.
Tag Archives: Documentary
Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History Of Friday The 13th (Blu-ray + DVD Combo)
The team of 1428 Films is at it again, and this time they’re giving Jason Voorhees, the man behind the mask, his due. If folks loved “Never Sleep Again” and it’s extended run time, you’ll be glad to find out that “Crystal Lake Memories” is an exhaustive and lengthy documentary running almost seven hours. This allows for funny, wry, and honest looks in to every single installment of the series. Including the remake. With narration by series star Corey Feldman, “Crystal Lake Memories” traces the series back to when “Friday the 13th” began life as a low budget production at half a million dollars. Thanks to the introduction of Wes Craven’s “Last House on the Left” along with John Carpenter’s iconic “Halloween,” the creators set out to make their own mark with a holiday themed horror film.
Bayo (2012)
One of the main things director Mark Brown’s music documentary has going against it is that it’s a very niche film. Even fans most open to music will find watching this documentary very polarizing in that it chronicles a world that seems very exclusive to only a select few that understand the music form. “Bayo” is set on a young reggae artist that director Mark Brown finds oddly fascinating, and true to the documentary, Bayo is the center of many people’s fascinations, and is something of a celebrity within the music circuit he’s entrenched in. While I really have nothing against this musical form, “Bayo” doesn’t do much to appeal to a broader audience curious to the music’s appeal.
Monsters Wanted (2013)
Director Brian Cunningham’s haunted house documentary is simultaneously very engrossing and utterly surreal. Cunningham explores the haunted house industry and how one haunted house attraction isn’t just becoming the centerpiece for a town, but for a slew of aspiring actors and performers who rely on this job as a means of celebrating the holiday of Halloween, showcasing their talents, or just imploring the attraction as an outlet for their characters.
The Last Dance – Raw Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1999)
Die Like an Egyptian (2013)
Director Matt Mamula’s “Die Like an Egyptian” is a bittersweet and gripping short documentary about our attempts to control our own death’s in a manner that allows us the illusion of control in the after life. For us, old age and mortality can be horrifying and harrowing a prospect, and director Mamula spotlights an older man who is racing against time to build himself a prominent memorial that will not only give him relevance after death, but perhaps help him garner a sense of control.
Terms and Conditions May Apply (2013)
Director Cullen Hoback’s “Terms and Conditions May Apply” is one of the most important films made in years. It is also the most important film made this year. In an age where everyone and their grandparents are connected to some form of personal computers and are freely relinquishing personal information for the sake of using some novelty program, director Cullen Hoback explores in his film how the click of one button will destroy not just your freedom, but the entire world’s freedom.