The contribution made by Val Lewton and his group to horror films is quite important in the history of the genre and this documentary has some big names of that genre telling you why.
For the uninitiated it might be a double edged sword. Watching this WILL tell you why you really need to see his 9 horror films made for RKO if you are truly interested in the genre (and probably even if you aren't considering how his films strayed from the traditional formula for horror films at that time at studios like Universal). The problem is that if you watch this documentary before seeing any of the films in it (most specifically 'Leopard Man', 'Seventh Victim') you will undermine the effect a few of those films' best scenes could have had on you in their first viewing. It even gives away the ending of 'Seventh Victim'.
This film does a good job of pointing out why Lewton's films are still effective when others of the period seem dated and tells you how much these films have helped to influence others working in the horror genre. It could be argued that the things discussed in the documentary could just as easily be stated in a good book about Lewton, but its nice to see some big names in horror saying them (writers like Richard Matheson and Neil Gaiman, directors like George A. Romero and William 'Exorcist' Friedkin, etc.).
I recommend watching this but only after seeing the films it discusses. Since it was made as part of a DVD set of Lewton's 9 horror films, you probably have those movies with you anyways, so please watch them first. Watching this first is almost like popping in a DVD of a movie you've never seen and watching the commentary track before you've even seen the film.
For the uninitiated it might be a double edged sword. Watching this WILL tell you why you really need to see his 9 horror films made for RKO if you are truly interested in the genre (and probably even if you aren't considering how his films strayed from the traditional formula for horror films at that time at studios like Universal). The problem is that if you watch this documentary before seeing any of the films in it (most specifically 'Leopard Man', 'Seventh Victim') you will undermine the effect a few of those films' best scenes could have had on you in their first viewing. It even gives away the ending of 'Seventh Victim'.
This film does a good job of pointing out why Lewton's films are still effective when others of the period seem dated and tells you how much these films have helped to influence others working in the horror genre. It could be argued that the things discussed in the documentary could just as easily be stated in a good book about Lewton, but its nice to see some big names in horror saying them (writers like Richard Matheson and Neil Gaiman, directors like George A. Romero and William 'Exorcist' Friedkin, etc.).
I recommend watching this but only after seeing the films it discusses. Since it was made as part of a DVD set of Lewton's 9 horror films, you probably have those movies with you anyways, so please watch them first. Watching this first is almost like popping in a DVD of a movie you've never seen and watching the commentary track before you've even seen the film.