An Official Selection of the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival

S&MAN, directed by J.T. Petty, explores the relation between voyeurism and horror films, utilizing a wide array of sources to shed light on the psychological underpinnings of the genre as well as what the desire to be horrified says about certain aspects of society. Centrally concerned with voyeurism, the film delves into related issues such as objectivity/subjectivity and audience sympathy.

The documentary features interviews with filmmakers and film scholars who specialize in horror, offering various perspectives on the genre as well as the voyeuristic nature of film itself. In addition to these interviews, the documentary explores the case of a peeping tom who was caught obsessively taking footage of his neighbors. By exploring a real case of illegal voyeurism, the film further investigates the need to watch that motivates so much of the horror genre, and just where it comes from.

Petty, director of the awarding winning short SOFT FOR DIGGING, is presently adapting the videogame SPLINTER CELL, which he helped create, to the big screen for Paramount.