"Roger & Me": More Than Just Bad Economics, It's a Horror Show?

Okay, so I just re-watched "Roger & Me" for like the fifth time, and while everyone talks about the economic impact and Moore's, uh, 'unique' style, I'm starting to think about it less as a documentary and more as a deeply unsettling horror movie. Not in a jump-scare kind of way, obviously, but the slow-burn dread as Flint crumbles around Moore is almost unbearable. Think about those eviction scenes... the Christmas party gig thing? The way the cheerful (but definitely tone-deaf) music keeps playing while people are literally losing everything? Pure psychological torture. From a technical standpoint, the clever (cynical?) use of juxtaposition is what really sells the horror aspect. It's like Moore and the editors were deliberately crafting a sense of unease. This is where the sound design really punches it up. Like the way the upbeat GM jingles are layered over scenes of poverty, or the almost surreal silence during the eviction sequences. It's all subtly jarring, creating an atmosphere of constant discomfort. It's not just about showing us bad things; it's about making us feel the crushing weight of despair. I'd be curious to know what editing software they used back then. And maybe it's just me, but the constant failure to reach Roger Smith becomes almost symbolic. He's the boogeyman, always just out of reach, looming over the entire film. He's the force driving the horror, an unseen antagonist whose decisions are wreaking havoc on the lives of ordinary people. It's like a Stephen King novel where the monster is corporate greed and the setting is a decaying industrial town. I know it sounds like a stretch, but the more I watch it, the more I see those horror elements sneaking in. I'm not saying Moore intended it that way, or that it makes the film 'good' or 'bad'. But, I think examining 'Roger & Me' through this lense helps explain why it had such an impact and continues to resonate even today. Thoughts?