The Universal Story

Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters

October 2024 •English

A look at Hammer’s progression from a back office in London’s Regent Street to its iconic status within the horror film genre. The company, started by comedian and businessman William Hinds in 1934, made films such as The Curse of Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Quatermass Xperiment during the period for which it is best known, making stars out of the likes of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.

Clawing! A Journey Through the Spanish Horror

June 2014 •Spanish

In the late sixties, Spanish cinema began to produce a huge amount of horror genre films: international markets were opened, the production was continuous, a small star-system was created, as well as a solid group of specialized directors. Although foreign trends were imitated, Spanish horror offered a particular approach to sex, blood and violence. It was an extremely unusual artistic movement in Franco's Spain.

Into the Pit: The Shocking Story of Deadpit.com

August 2009 •English

Prestonburg, KY is a small blue-collar town with hunting, fishing, coal mining, and two of the biggest names in online horror talk radio: Wes Vance and Aaron Frye (aka "The Creepy Kentuckian" and "Uncle Bill") The two self-proclaimed "redneck geeks" bonded at a young age while their weekends devouring horror films. They now use their extensive horror knowledge to record a weekly podcast on DEADPIT.com and have found a worldwide audience through their candid conversation, quick wit, and lots of swearing. What started as an outlet to express their love for horror films has evolved into an online industry with millions of followers and the ability to talk to their childhood heroes. But what happens when your childhood pursuits start to collide with your adult aspirations? Can Deadpit survive it's own success?

King Cohen

July 2018 •English

A feature-length documentary focusing on the acclaimed work and eclectic career of maverick filmmaker Larry Cohen, writer-director of "Black Caesar," "It's Alive," "God Told Me To," "Q," "The Stuff," and many more.

Who Is Bill Rebane?

May 2021 •English

A feature-length documentary on the life and work of Wisconsin grindhouse cinema auteur Bill Rebane, featuring historians, critics, and filmmakers, plus cast and crew members who worked with Rebane himself.

Reality Behind the Scenes of Wicked World

September 2019 •English

In 1990 Barry J. Gillis began shooting wicked world on 16mm film. Eddie Platt, took his video camera along to many of the locations, capturing footage of the insane Movie Shoot.

Tax Shelter Terrors

December 2017 •English

The first feature-length documentary that fully explores how the toxic social and political Canadian context after 1968 created some of the most nihilistic and imaginative Canadian cult films of the 1970s and 80s and beyond.

Another Romance of Celluloid

February 1938 •English

This second entry in MGM's "Romance of Film" series documents how celluloid movie film is processed and features behind-the-scenes glimpses of current MGM productions.

To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story

August 2017 •English

To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story is the harrowing story of a stuntman overcoming a dehumanizing childhood filled with torment and bullying in Sparks, Nevada. After surviving a near-death burn accident, he worked his way up through Hollywood, leading to his ultimate rise as Jason Voorhees in the Friday the 13th series and making countless moviegoers forever terrified of hockey masks and summer camp. Featuring interviews with cinema legends, including Bruce Campbell (Ash vs. Evil Dead), Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger), and Cassandra Peterson (Elvira: Mistress of the Dark), To Hell and Back peels off the mask of Kane Hodder, cinema's most prolific killer, in a gut-wrenching, but inspiring, documentary. After decades of watching Kane Hodder on screen, get ready to meet the man behind the mask in To Hell and Back - an uniquely human story about one of cinema's most vicious monsters.

Enter Room 6: The Making of The Man in Room 6

October 2022 •English

A look behind the scenes at the several-year journey of making Trevor and Carrie Juenger's horror fantasy epic The Man in Room 6.

What's in the Basket?

September 2011 •English

A documentary on the making of Frank Henenlotter's Basket Case trilogy.

The Exorcist Untold

December 2023 •English

An insight into one of the most groundbreaking horror films of all time; the infamous The Exorcist (1973).

Smoke and Mirrors: The Story of Tom Savini

October 2015 •English

Tom Savini is one of the greatest special effects legends in the history of cinema, but little is known about his personal life until now. For the first time ever a feature length film has covered not only Tom's amazing career spanning over four decades, but his personal life as well.

Nightmares in Red, White and Blue

August 2009 •English

An exploration of the appeal of horror films, with interviews of many legendary directors in the genre.

One Day of Mosfilm

January 1985 •Russian

The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan

June 2004 •English

Everyone has a skeleton or two in his or her closet, but what about the director behind some of the most successful thrillers ever to hit the silver screen? Could M. Night Shyamalan be hiding a deep, dark secret that drives his macabre cinematic vision? Now viewers will be able to find out firsthand what fuels The Sixth Sense director's seemingly supernatural creativity as filmmakers interview Shyamalan as well as the cast and crew members who have worked most closely with him over the years. Discover the early events that shaped the mind of a future master of suspense in a documentary that is as fascinating as it is revealing.

Full Tilt Boogie

July 1998 •English

A documentary about the production of From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) and the people who made it.

Horror Movie: A Low Budget Nightmare

October 2017 •English

A filmmaker's lifelong dream quickly becomes his worst nightmare when he attempts to make a low budget horror film about an aborted fetus that seeks revenge on its family.

Making I'm Dangerous Tonight

July 2022 •English

Behind the scenes footage of I'm Dangerous Tonight. Footage shot by Stan Giesea and Eric H. Lasher

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy

May 2010 •English

For decades, Freddy Krueger has slashed his way through the dreams of countless youngsters, scaring up over half a billion dollars at the box office across eight terrifying, spectacular films.