10. Best Worst Movie
They’re eating her. And then they’re going to eat me. OH MY GOOOOOD!
Nilbog is backwards for goblin!
“Best Worst Movie” (2009) is probably one of the most entertaining documentaries about a horrible cult classic B-movie ever made, “Troll 2” which neither has trolls, nor is a sequel to “Troll.”
They interview the actors, and give a glimpse into the minds and lives of the actors and how they were affected by being in such a good/bad movie. Directed by the child star of Troll 2, Michael Stephenson.
Don’t believe me? Watch it on Hulu, go visit their website http://bestworstmovie.com/, ask all your friends and your friend’s pets, they’ll tell you the truth about it.
9. Room 237
“Room 237” is a documentary by Rodney Ascher about the conspiracy theorists that are absolutely OBSESSED with the thought that Stanley Kubrick purposefully put signals and messages in every single scene of his classic horror movie, “The Shining.”
Most of these conspiracy theories are so bizarre and out there, you’ll find them hilarious. At least, I know that I did. There’s crazy, and then there’s Room 237 crazy. Yikes!
This documentary tends to drag in parts, but overall, it’s a very interesting character study about the die-hard fans of Stephen King’s infamous movie.
8. Halloween: The Inside Story
Made by the Biography channel, “Halloween: The Inside Story” covers the origins of the iconic slasher franchise, and the movies that influenced the creation of the Shape and the other denizens of Haddonfield. It covers all of the movies in the franchise, and explores why fans love them so much.
Interviews with cast, crew, producers and critics form a solidly woven history of the Halloween franchise. John Carpenter, Jamie Lee Curtis, and many others talk about the character development, the musical score, and the set up of the scares. A brilliant and fitting homage to one of the most influential films Carpenter has ever made.
You can watch it here.
7. His Name was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th
“Ki-ki-ki, ma-ma-ma”
If you’re looking for in-depth insight on Jason; his character, and his legacy, this is it. From gratuitous boob shots to actors talking about unbelievable loyalty and the love of fans for their movies, “His Name was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th” covers the entire gamut of topics. Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the movie, from the creation concept to the iconic sound effects to its influence on pop culture is in this documentary.
Hosted by Tom Savini, yes that Tom Savini, the legendary special effects genius who came up with more ways to kill people than is healthy for the normal human psyche, “His Name Was Jason” is a fun romp through slasher nostalgia land.
The movie is free to watch here.
6. Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film
“Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film” (2006) is one of the definitive documentaries about the slasher genre that rose up in the late ’70s through the late ’90s. It covers the most influential movies of the genre, from “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” to “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”
Interviews with Wes Craven, John Carpenter, Tom Savini, Stan Winston, Greg Nicotero, Robert Oppenheimer, and many many more. All the big slasher directors, special effect creators and musician composers are here.
Going to Pieces provides priceless insight into the creation and production slasher villains, and why audiences seem to love gore, and bloody, graphic deaths as much as they do.
A companion book of the same name written by Adam Rockoff was published in 2002.
You can watch it here for free on Youtube. You’re welcome.
5. Doc of the Dead
A must see for zombie movie lovers. “Doc of the Dead” thoroughly covers the zombie movie, from its humble beginnings to its transformation into a gore filled kill fest that it is today.
Interviews with George Romero (“Night of the Living Dead” et al.), Simon Pegg (“Sean of the Dead”), Bruce Campbell (Do I really need to list the movies he’s been in?), Tom Savini (He seems to be in a lot of these, huh?), Greg “Check out my zombie kills on The Walking Dead” Nicotero, Charlier Adlard, Max Brooks and actors of iconic zombies from “Night of the Living Dead” and “Return of the Living Dead”.
4. Not Quite Hollywood
This 2008 documentary covers the “Ozploitation” films, the grindhouse era of Australian cinema that was oozing skeevy sex, violence and horror.
During the 1970’s, the censorship regime in Australia introduce the R-certificate (or an R rating for those of you that don’t know what that means), which allowed movie makers to create such classics as “Mad Max”, “Road Games” and “Next of Kin“.
“Not Quite Hollywood” is chock-a-block full of low-budget exploitation movies of all varieties from the 1970’s and 1980’s; sexplotation, gear head violence and extreme fighting sequences. If you want to watch a documentary about vulgar, offensive exploitation films, this is the one to watch.
Writer/director Mark Hartley interviewed around 90 actors, screenwriters, directors and producers to compile information for this exhaustive look at Australian films.
3. The Thing: Terror Takes Shape
“The Thing: Terror Takes Shape” is by far one of the best documentaries made about the John Carpenter Cult Classic, “The Thing.”
Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the making of “The Thing,” from the actor’s experiences in working in sub-zero temperatures and blizzards, to how the special effects work are covered. They even discuss the amazing sled dog and how they got it to perform for them under such stressful circumstances.
Carpenter calls “The Thing” the first movie of his “Apocalypse Trilogy”, which also includes “Prince of Darkness” and “In the Mouth of Madness.” Why does he call it his “Apocalypse Trilogy?” Well, each movie features the potential and permanent end of humanity and human civilization.
“The Thing” was a bomb in the box office, but it has gained cult status thanks to its timeless and incredibly detailed special effects that are on par with the amazing werewolf transformation scene in “An American Werewolf in London.”
This is a definite must-see for any horror fan, as it not only explains the story telling process, but how all the different elements from story boards to matte paintings fit to make a cohesive and utterly chilling movie of paranoia and impending doom.
You can watch it here on Youtube. It’s free. Wooo!
2. Masters Of Horror A Documentary Hosted By Bruce Campbell
“Masters of Horror” is a “horror special” made for TV documentary by the Sci Fi Channel (before it became SyFy) hosted by Bruce Campbell, It includes honest, deeply brutal interviews with all the modern classic horror movies, including legendary directors Tobe Hooper, Wes Craven, George Romero, John Carpenter, John Landis, Dario Argento, Stuart Gordon, Guillermo del Toro and several special effects masters including Tom Savini (Here he is again! Wow!) and the Master of Puppets, Rick Baker.
All the best horror movies from the 1970’s to 2000’s are featured here.
“Masters of Horror” is a very candid series of interviews with the greatest minds in horror. Even better, it’s hosted by “Groovy” Bruce Campbell. What’s there not to love?
You can watch it here.
Yes. We are that awesome. Oh stop, you’re making us blush!
1. Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy
This four-hour documentary may have been direct to video, but “Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy” is far from a cheap shot at Freddy Krueger and his legacy, if anything, it is a love letter to the hard work and devotion of the employees of New Line Cinema; the producers, writers, directors and actors that made the franchise one of the most influential slasher films that grew to define the 1980’s horror scene.
By far one of the most entertaining horror documentaries I have ever seen. It features some candid, and at times hilarious, interviews with the cast and crew of the all seven of the original Nightmare on Elm Street movies. They cover everything from the hazards of working with giant special effects, to the gay overtones of “A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge.”
One of the best, and most exhaustive Nightmare on Elm Street documentaries ever made. Definitely a must see for Freddy fans! It’s such a good documentary that it will make you want to sit down and watch the entire series all over again. Even better, it has some really cool stop motion animated sequences throughout it featuring Freddy as a puppet.
Guess what? It’s on Hulu. You can watch it here for free! Bonus!
