FILM FOCUS: THE AMERICAN SCREAM

 (2011)

I first discovered The American Scream last October and really enjoyed this documentary about “home haunters,” aka Halloween fanatics that transform their yards into haunted attractions.  I remember finding it unexpectedly poignant at the time though I couldn’t exactly recall why so it was with much anticipation that I sat down to re-watch it this year.

Our setting is smallish town in Massachusetts where almost everyone has a strangely soothing New England accent.  The documentary focuses on three local men and their families who go all-out decorating their yards.  Victor Bariteau is the perfectionist whose lavish and professional looking walk-thru haunted attraction inspires everyone.  Manny Souza is the rough-around-the-edges working man.  And finally there is “peculiar” Matthew Brodeur and his father, part-time clowns whose displays are the most basic but whose enthusiasm matches their more polished neighbors.

Victor & Family

Each storyline plays out over the course of October as the men (I was disappointed that a woman didn’t share one of the central roles but I suspect that, as with Christmas light displays, home haunting is dominated by men) and their families prepare.  Victor is on the verge of being downsized at his job and throws himself into his Halloween plans with zeal.  Manny gets the least amount of screen time but is shown recruiting his wife and kids in things like cutting down cornstalks.  Matthew and his father have a Grey Gardens vibe going: they live together and are best friends, alternately bickering and caring for one another.  It’s hard to determine if they both suffer from some sort of social disorder or are just misfits (or perhaps a bit of both).

Manny & Family

I enjoyed the voyeuristic peek at everyone’s lives (and homes) plus you get footage of scads of store-bought and homemade decorations.  Despite a relatively trim running time things do start to drag; the filmmakers spend too much time following Matthew and his dad as they somewhat haphazardly construct decorations and (mildly) argue with one another.  But just as things get a bit boring Halloween night arrives and the documentary springs back to life in a big way.  Everyone experiences a form of total joy that’s exhilarating to watch, along with the excitement and screams of their visiting neighbors.  You never get a full walk-thru of any of the three haunts, which is a shame, but you get a great montage of the men totally in their element and enjoying the fruits of their labor.

Matthew models a mask.

But then things take a turn and get really emotional.  As with my first viewing, here I was once again on the verge of tears.  Victor starts to talk about how supportive and amazing his family is and gets choked up and I did too.  Look, I can relate to a level of passion for the holidays that others (maybe even most) might find weird or hard to understand.  Not only do I feel a kinship with these weirdos but also a tender affection for their patient wives and friends as they come together to help them.  When Victor starts explaining why Halloween is so special, how it brings people together… well, just pass me the Kleenex.

The American Scream isn’t a perfect documentary but it’s well worth watching and captures an often difficult to pinpoint x-factor that makes holidays what they are.   It’s about people and their passions and what makes life worth living—and enjoying.