Directed by Michael Stephenson
Starring Victor Bariteau, Manny Souza and Matthew Brodeur
Runtime 91min. - Not Rated
4 Stars (out of 4)
The town of Fairhaven, Connecticut is obsessed with Halloween. Or at least obsessed with Halloween decorations. "The American Scream" introduces us to three amateur "haunters" who lead the small town pack. Some are noticeably more talented than others, but all three households are veritably crazy.
Victor Bariteau is a perfectionist. He also gets the most face time in the film and rightfully so. His history warrants a little extra exploration. Victor was raised in a highly conservative religious family. There were no holiday festivities in his home. Not just strict Catholics or Protestants, he was brought up as a Branch Davidian. If that name rings a bell it's because the group was part of the infamously tragic Waco Siege of 1993. I'm unsure if he was part of that particular sect. His mother says she left the group when their prophet tried to resurrect a dead body during a service. Victor's daughter postulates that his current obsession with Halloween decorations is just a way of making up for missed childhood opportunities.
Thankfully, Victor has a supportive family. His entire property is saturated with things related to Halloween props. The kids would like a playhouse but then where would he put his cemetery? He even chose his home based on its prime trick-or-treating location even though they could have afforded better. Halloween is a year-round full-time job for which all expenses are paid for out-of-pocket. A pocket that is lined by a IT job that he's in constant danger of losing. None of this truly registers with Victor. All that matters is Halloween.
I should mention that he's damn talented. He creates huge animated props from raw materials. The guy could easily be a professional carpenter or movie set designer. That's not what he wants though. He wants to be a professional haunter. Yep, they have those.
 |
| Victor Bariteau and family |
Manny Souza lives a few blocks away from Bariteau and was inspired by his haunt. They apparently are friends though I don't recall ever seeing them in the same frame. Maybe Bariteau feels like his idea has been copied. Souza is not a perfectionist. His art lies more in community celebration as opposed to painting and building props. He's not lacking for skill, but won't lose sleep over blemishes in his work. Souza's family is also supportive and his children perform a lot of manual labor voluntarily. His desire isn't to be a professional. Manny Souza wants to live on as a good memory of the kids in his area. I imagine that he will.
The final team of haunters in the doc are Richard and Matthew Brodeur whose enthusiasm heavily outweighs their talent. Neither seem to have an occupation, but Matthews father Richard seems like a candidate for disability. I assume they both live off that income. Neither member of this patriarchy are very bright. They argue endlessly over silly things. Shockingly, their's a girl who shadows Matthew but he insists he could never see her as anything but a sister. Big mistake in my opinion, his options can't be that numerous.
When not working on Halloween festivities, Richard and Matthew dress up as clowns to entertain sick children. While I applaud the volunteering efforts, I really didn't like Matthew Brodeur. The guy bosses his diabled father around endlessly and degrades him for not doing a good job. He might have a good heart, but I'd be willing to slap his face.
I thought of the film like a Three Little Bears spoof. Bariteau takes this stuff too seriously. The Brodeurs don't treat it with enough respect. Manny Souza's attitude seems just right. But who am I to judge? All of them seem satisfied with their work and the kids seem to love it also. My favorite scenes in the film feature children getting scared half to death.
I know I've covered a lot in this review. Don't worry about the spoilers, there's a lot more to see. The ending, for instance, leaves open room for a sequel.
Michael Stephenson is quickly making a name for himself in the quirky documentary genre. He directed 2009's "Best Worst Movie" about the terrible B-horror film Troll 2 and the fate of its cast. The film was widely praised and extremely entertaining. "The American Scream" marks a trend and I can promise this won't be the last time Stephenson's name gets brought up on this site.
No comments:
Post a Comment