Educational Media Reviews Online

Dream Deceivers tells the story of the trial James Vance v. Judas Priest, in which the Vance family sued the heavy metal stars, claiming subliminal messages in the band’s albums had caused their teenage son’s suicide attempt. James has survived the attempt, disfigured by the bullet which grazed his face, and the interview footage where he tells his side of the story lends gravity to what could easily have become an overly sensationalized narrative.

In fact, the most striking aspect of the movie is the careful depiction of the Vance family. Though their foibles and weaknesses are on full display, the film makes an honest attempt to understand them, never becoming exploitative, and, in so doing, becomes a portrait in all-too-human psychology. In addition to the feature’s psychological insight, the disc contains extensive interviews with the filmmaker that would prove valuable for students of documentary film. Shot for the PBS program POV, during both the film’s original airing and twenty years later, director David Van Taylor discusses the tactics he used to cultivate the family’s trust and how the filming experience itself changed him.

Though film and psychology departments would be the DVD’s prime audiences, one could also see it being used in sociology and law courses. The movie itself uses the video format of its day, lending it a graininess that reminds one of the darker cousin of that other great Judas Priest documentary, Heavy Metal Parking Lot (2000). In fact, the two movies would make a great double feature. For, amid the alienation and sorrow of the Vance family, there are some terrifically funny moments seeing Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford react to various absurdities, as well as interesting portraits of Reno, Nevada’s metal heads who followed the trial.

Awards

• International Documentary Association Award