DVD Review: Saturday Nightmares
Saturday Nightmares – The Ultimate Horror Expo of All Time (2010)
Directed, Filmed, and Edited by Michael Stever
Reviewed by Marc Patterson
I owe Michael Stever an apology and at least one beer the next time I’m in NY. Maybe two beers. I don’t even know how long ago he sent me this film, but it was a while back. I have been so crushed by pre-Halloween DVD releases and features that I haven’t been able to make time for this DVD. Then I did something really dumb in the height of the season – I decided it would be a good time to move. Like physically move into a new home. I nearly had to hire someone just to pack my film collection! However, that’s MY bad I didn’t get around to this earlier.
During the weekend of March 29th this year, Michael Stever took to The Landmark Loew’s Theatre in Jersey City for the Saturday Nightmares Expo with camera in hand. He didn’t just walk the floor and interview a few celebrities. He took viewers through the behind the scenes of putting on a horror expo from set-up to break down. In between Michael explores the nooks and crannies of The Landmark, which is one of the most gorgeous theatres in the country and certainly one of the most spectacular places to host a horror expo. And on this I want to stop and dwell for a moment. The theater is adorned with marble columns, bronze railings, broad staircases that flow upwards to the balcony. It’s a rather stunning place. More so amazing to think it’s in Jersey City!
You have to take a measured bit of approach to any documentary with that much hyperbole in its tagline. “The Ultimate Horror Expo of All Time”. Yeah, that’s a lot to live up to. I’m not here to say whether this is the ultimate horror expo of all time. Fact is, I’m not a horror con kid. Not dissin’ it. I’m just saying, I don’t do cons.
A quick statement precedes the film: “In 1954, a 14 year old George Andrew Romero was arrested for throwing a flaming dummy off a Bronx rooftop while filming The Man From the Meteor, and the rest was history.” You see, George A. Romero is to be the guest of honor at this weekend expo, and so perhaps this is a fitting way to start the film.
Shot with a handheld cam and narrated by Stever, Saturday Nightmares is every bit a project of love for the horror genre. At any old convention this might not be interesting, but what makes this fascinating is how Stever catches certain moments, such as watching Tom Savini as he sets up his own booth and then interact with a young (read: ultra young) fan. Most fans seem to concur that Savini is a pompous asshole, and I’m sure he is, (he’s certainly earned the right) but at least he seems to exhibit a sense of humor. In another moment, a fan asks an actor about a part he played and he replies that “You fans know more about it than I remember”. Stever consistently provides a unique snapshot of the human side to these figures in horror we fans tend to idolize and place upon a pedestal. Thankfully, it’s all for the better.
And of course there’s the fans… costumed, bloodied, some more crazy than others. Pouring over the booths where merchants sell their wares. It gets wild out there on the “floor” and Stever captures these moments as only a fan can. You feel less like a voyeuristic observer, and more like an actual participant.
Then there’s the panel discussions with Romero and crew, interviews with various actors, and moments where Stever captures icons like Ken Foree speaking to a crowd, though in Foree’s case it’s more like preaching. Not sure I would have been down for sitting through his politically driven spiel. Thankfully some footage is given to the always lovely Adrienne Barbeau to help wash that foul taste from my mouth!
All said, Saturday Nightmares was an enjoyable forty-five minute romp through a weekend horror expo all done in a gorgeous location that provides a great backdrop for this “behind the scenes” look at what it takes to put on one of these events.
If you’re interested in purchasing this DVD and taking a look at this for yourself, you can order a copy directly through the official website: www.saturdaynightmaresthemovie.com
