MONSTERLAND

directed by Jörg Buttgereit

produced by Avanti Media

2008, Culture 59' & 80', Germany
English/German/Japanese

Nothing is more unsettling than the fear that just below the ordered surface of our world something lies slumbering which could suddenly awaken to unleash chaos on us. Such nightmarish visions haunt the last untouched wilderness, descend upon us from outer space, or lurk within us, waiting to arise from the depths of our psyche.

Monsterland journeys through time and around the world, exploring diverse monster types, from the origins of the latex monster in devastated postwar Japan to the aliens and serial murderers of 1980s American cinema, and on to the rise of King Kong's digital descendants in the face of 21st-century terrors. One after another, a broad spectrum of monsters emerges that mirrors the range of our fears and longings.

With the nostalgic gaze of a monster fan, Monsterland traces the history of the genre while probing the deep-seated human fear of, and longing for, violence and destruction. From this kaleidoscope of terror comes the sweet chill that only a true monster can send down one's spine.

With: John Carpenter, Greg Nicotero, Rick Baker, Joe Dante, Teruyoshi Nakano, Kenpachiro Satsuma, H.R. Giger, Shinya Tsukamoto, Joe Coleman

And clips from: Halloween, King Kong, Godzilla, Alien, Tetsuo, Frankenstein, Virus Undead, The Howling, Monster X Strikes Back.