By Todd Garbarini
Michael Stever’s Saturday Nightmares: The Ultimate Horror Expo of All-Time! is an encapsulation of the first Saturday Nightmares horror film convention that was held in Jersey City, NJ in March 2010 at the gorgeous Landmark Loews Jersey Theatre, itself a relic of a glorious time in cinema where walking into a theatre was the closest that a mere mortal had to entering heaven. The film will entertain any horror fan who has yet to attend a convention and wants to see what goes on at one, as well as those who have attended this convention and want a souvenir.
The project benefits from Stever’s own enthusiasm and he actually takes the audience on a tour of the Loews Jersey Theatre, to the roof which houses an ornate dragon, and through several areas that are normally off-limits to patrons as the theatre is currently undergoing a massive restoration.
The film begins with a hilarious anecdote about fourteen year-old George Romero being arrested for throwing a flaming dummy off of a Bronx rooftop while filming The Man from the Meteor in 1954. It also highlights many panel discussions with filmmaker Roy Frumkes and cast members from Dawn of the Dead. Yellow subtitles are blessedly provided for those hard-to-hear moments where the dialog is unintelligible. Many scenes are punctuated by Brahms’ Hungarian Dance Number 5, and there are: one-on-one interviews with John Amplas of Martin; Adrienne Barbeau of Creepshow (who admits to being scared of horror films); Joe Pilato’s notorious all-in-fun loudmouth shenanigans; excerpts from the costume contest.
The DVD is definitely worth a look for completists of the horror genre.
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