Fear…the most primal of human emotions. Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolfman… The Exorcist, Jaws, Alien. What made the creators of these films dream up the nightmares that kept us up at night? Were they as strange and twisted as their creations? And what about today’s creators of horror? Who are the minds behind the macabre of present day?

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A revealing, intimate documentary from veteran actor insider Ruben Pla, The Horror Crowd puts a spotlight on the dedicated nightmare-creators that form Hollywood’s horror community. Covering wide-ranging topics such as ‘Being the Weird Kid’, ‘Women in Horror’, ‘Race Relations’, ‘The Dark Side’ and ‘Film Festivals’, this fascinating insight into horror filmmaking and the movie industry features contributions from some of horror’s most innovative and renowned creators such as Oren Peli (director, Paranormal Activity), Russel Mulcahy (Highlander, Razorback), Lin Shaye (Insidious, A Nightmare on Elm Street), Adam Robitel (Insidious: The Last Key, Escape Room), Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II), Ernest R. Dickerson (Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, The Walking Dead).

There has been a plethora of horror-related documentaries in recent years (including several in this years FrightFest selections; see links below) however what sets this film apart is the focus on the horror community (in-particularly, genre film-makers themselves); it focuses on this group of creatives, what makes them tick as well as exploring the struggles of working in genre.

The style of this documentary is very conversational and a little unstructured (with director Ruben Pla ‘playing host’ in many of the interviews) but what is on offer is insightful and shows a passion for the subject matter. The one thread that stood out to me was the interviewee’s willingness to talk about their struggles. From the lesser known indie film-makers to the more familiar faces; all share a common bond and the film does a reasonable job of conveying what sets this group of creatives apart.

3/5

The film received it’s World Premiere on 29th August as part of FrightFest 2020 Digital Edition

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