Victor is obsessed with building his yearly haunted house, so
much so that the rest of the year (and much of his family's income) is spent
building, planning, and prepping for the biggest day of the year:
Halloween. His overwhelming
perfectionism drives his family crazy and him into sleep-deprived stress
fits. Manny is a working class
regular joe who just wants to entertain and scare Halloween guests with the
possibility of handing over his haunted house hobby to his children. Richard
and Matt Brodeur are a father and son who do their best to construct a haunted
experience despite a lack of resources and technical knowhow. The
American Scream follows these three "home haunters" and their yearly
attempts at scaring the small town community in Massachusetts through intricate
haunted house construction.
Director
Michael Stephenson has created an inspirational and heart-warming tale of three
families who consume themselves with a hobby they love. Watching these men put themselves
through a year of hell just for a single day of entertaining strangers is
surprisingly interesting. The
subjects certainly help with each one having unique and distinct personalities
that show off both humor and, at times, sadness. Watching the varying degrees of craftsmanship and care leads
to few laugh-out-loud moments, including Matt and Richard attempting to create
an alien tentacle with disastrous results.
While the film is mostly humorous, it shows a darker side to
the obsession. For Victor, there's
a moment where he admits to spending more time and money they don't necessarily
have on Halloween supplies and not with the family he has to care for. It isn't easy to watch, but Stephenson
wisely dials it back in favor for his clear affection towards these families
and the extreme dedication they have for haunted houses. The
American Scream is a funny, warm and wonderful look at a group of individuals
who are living their dream and still manage to be happy doing it despite the
amount of stress and pain that goes into it. These families are inspirational proof that, while following
your dream is certainly tough, it's worth it in the end.
