Terror in the Aisles

Director Andrew J. Kuehn assembles a montage of terror clips from a wide range of classic and contemporary films, stitched together with added narration. The aim is to evoke fear through a curated collage of suspenseful moments rather than a single traditional narrative. The result is a documentary-style anthology that foregrounds how different films provoke terror.

Dramatized narration features Donald Pleasence and Nancy Allen providing ongoing commentary about themes such as sex and terror, loathsome villains, natural terror, and the occult. Their insights link disparate clips into a cohesive thread about what makes horror resonate. Their voices help guide the viewer through the anthology's shifting moods.

The montage spotlights infamous antagonists from various films, using clips from titles like Dracula, Frankenstein, and Halloween to illustrate how menacing figures amplify fear. The juxtaposition of different eras shows a throughline of villainy as a core source of dread. The segment underscores how villain portrayals evolve across decades.

Clips depicting non-supernatural threats from nature and animals are woven into the program to evoke primal fear. The section demonstrates how natural elements can be as frightening as monsters. The pacing accelerates to heighten tension before returning to staged suspense.

This portion surveys films dealing with supernatural forces and occult dread, pulling clips from titles that explore possession, witchcraft, and supernatural danger. The juxtapositions emphasize the unseen and the unseen danger in everyday life. The narration links these intangible fears to audience anxiety.

Clips from space-horror and otherworldly threats illustrate a different scale of fear, from extraterrestrial menace to environment- or body-threatening beings. The segment widens the scope of terror beyond human villains. It reinforces the vast, unknowable horror that stirs audiences.

The program includes lighter, spoof-oriented clips alongside genuine fright, reminding viewers that fear can be playful as well as deadly. The juxtaposition of parody with menace serves to heighten the tension of the serious segments. This contrast underscores the anthology’s breadth and playfully interrogates fear.

In a standout moment, a segment presents Alfred Hitchcock's concepts of suspense via a clip from Alfred Hitchcock: Men Who Made The Movies. The commentary and clip demonstrate how quiet storytelling and misdirection can escalate fear. It anchors the collection in a celebrated cinema tradition of building dread through craft.

The production grapples with securing rights to hundreds of films, a process described as extensive and painstaking. Rights constraints influence what footage can be used, shaping the final lineup. The team negotiates tirelessly to assemble a comprehensive 'terror film' archive rather than a pure horror showcase.

The most recent movie included for the 1984 release was Videodrome (Cronenberg, 1983), marking the upper limit of clips chosen due to rights timing. The documentary notes that no films released after Videodrome were considered for usage. This constraint defines the temporal boundary of the compilation.

Advertising for the project labels the included clips as 'terror films' rather than 'horror films', signaling a broader, more analytical framing of fear. This wording aligns with the documentary's archival and essay-like approach. The distinction suggests a deliberate curatorial perspective on the genre.

The finished documentary is released in 1984, presenting a brisk, collage-style viewing experience. Audiences encounter a curated mosaic of terror scenes interlaced with commentary and suspense notes. The film contributes to discussions about horror cinema and its history.