American Nightmare: Docuseries Spins Life Imitating Art

"American Nightmare" on Netflix blurs the lines between fact and fiction, capitalizing on the story of Denise Huskins.

Netflix's docuseries "American Nightmare" blurs the lines between fact and fiction, presenting a story that captivates audiences with its bizarre and almost unbelievable plot. The series follows the 2015 case of Aaron Quinn and Denise Huskins, a young couple who fell victim to a home invasion, kidnapping, and subsequent search for Huskins, who was later found hundreds of miles away, claiming to have been raped by her abductor before being released.

The show uses interviews, news accounts, and current interviews with those involved, as well as the growing skepticism of authorities regarding Quinn's story to keep viewers engaged with a cliffhanger-style feel. The media's interest in the case was further sparked by the theory that Huskins had perpetrated a hoax inspired by the movie "Gone Girl," in which a woman fakes her own disappearance.

This connection to "Gone Girl" sets "American Nightmare" apart, but it's not the only series to use movie concepts as a basis for reality shows. The strategy has produced some memorable excesses, such as CBS's "Kid Nation," which was modeled after the book-turned-movie "The Lord of the Flies," and Netflix's "The Tinder Swindler," which focused on a man who seduced women and then fleeced them out of their money.

The series employs dramatic reenactments to flesh out the interviews, blurring the lines between reality and fiction even further. The use of dramatic storytelling to process unusual events is a common phenomenon, as movies and TV provide a helpful kind of shorthand for understanding and interpreting the world around us.

"American Nightmare" is a thought-provoking and unsettling series that challenges the audience's perception of reality and fiction, leaving viewers questioning the boundaries between truth and storytelling. It is currently available for streaming on Netflix.