A feature length documentary about grassroots horror filmmakers, The Brilliant Terror’s inspiration comes from being intimately included behind the scenes of microbudget genre filmmaking. Witness the obsessive lengths to which people will go to bring their greatest fears to life on screen--and why. At times hilarious, at times repulsive, and at times weirdly moving, this film is not only for horror fans, but for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider.

Shot over the course of seven years, the film follows the life of small-town auteur Mike Lombardo as he writes, directs, shoots, and reshoots (and reshoots) “The Stall.” Viewers are privy to candid moments that inform his inner drive--from his giddy triumph at successful DIY special effects to his painful personal crises to the everyday tedium of working at a pizza shop. Along the way, interviews with fierce women filmmakers, other grassroots directors, horror experts, and misunderstood fans bring fascinating diversions and unexpected viewpoints.