[THE AMERICAN SCREAM
is now available on Netflix instant view and at select theatrical
screenings.]
Review
by Bob Ignizio
There are people who like Halloween –
the ones who carve a jack-o-lantern or two, put up some fake spider
webs, maybe a few orange lights and a few window stickers. And then
there are people like the ones we meet in the documentary THE
AMERICAN SCREAM who really
like Halloween, turning their homes and yards into elaborate scenes
of terror that draw gawkers from all over.
The
film focuses on three families in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. In his
day job Victor Bariteau builds and maintains computer servers. What
he lives for, though, is the chance to make and share his incredibly
detailed props and scenes with the neighbors every October 31st. His
wife Tina is philosophical: most guys would be spending about as much
time and money on more traditional interests like football, which
Victor could care less about. Plus Victor's hobby involves his whole
family, although truth be told only one of his two daughters truly
shares his enthusiasm. Manny Souza is a city worker who was inspired
to create his own homemade haunt by Victor. He isn't as much of a
stickler for detail, but his set up is still pretty elaborate.
Finally, there's the father and son team of Matthew and Richard
Broudeur, who work as clowns when they aren't making turning their
yard into a den of horror.
Everyone
featured in the film has a definite passion for what they're doing.
They all say that making people happy is their main reason, but
certainly a desire for recognition plays a part as well. Victor's
motivation likely goes even deeper due to the fact that his strict
religious upbringing as a child kept him from celebrating Halloween
(or any holiday, for that matter). His obsessive attention to detail
also shows he may have designs on turning his hobby into something
more.
Although
director Michael Stephenson (BEST
WORST MOVIE)
doesn't refrain from showing the occasional eccentricities of his
subjects, particularly the Broudeurs, he does it without holding
anyone up to ridicule. There's also a fair amount of drama, and even
a few moments that are genuinely touching in the film, like when
Manny finds out just how much his neighbors appreciate what he does
when he considers giving up his haunt after recovering from a heart
attack. About the only gripe one could have with the movie is that
the ending feels like a cliff hanger, with one of the three haunters
embarking on a new project. It would be nice to know if he succeeds,
but at least for the most part the movie certainly does. 3 1/2 out of
4 stars.
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