# The Power of Nightmares (2004)

> A three-part British documentary argues that politicians have deliberately used fear of terrorism to expand their power over society.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/5768

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 3
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: documentary
- Created by: Adam Curtis
- Network: BBC Two
- Cast: Gilles Kepel, Melvin Goodman, Stephen Holmes, William Kristol, Michael Ledeen, Richard Perle, Azzam Tamimi, Fouad Allam
- TMDB rating: 8.7/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0430484/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: dense
- Violence: mild
- Tone: skeptical, analytical, unsettling, cool, deliberate

## What critics say

Critics acclaim the series as a provocative, densely argued documentary that reframes post-Cold War political rhetoric about terrorism.

## Synopsis

The Power of Nightmares (2004) is a British documentary miniseries created by Adam Curtis for BBC Two. Across three hour-long episodes, the series traces how politicians and policy strategists turned fear of terrorism into a durable tool of power and control. Rather than following a single protagonist, it builds its case through interviews with analysts, former intelligence officers and political commentators such as Gilles Kepel, Richard Perle, William Kristol and Milton Bearden, who appear as themselves. Curtis threads archival footage and quiet narration through a chain of connected arguments, following how threat narratives were assembled, promoted and repeated until they shaped public life. The tone is cool, skeptical and deliberate, more essay than exposé, with an unsettling sense that the nightmares being discussed were partly manufactured. Viewers drawn to political history, post 9/11 geopolitics and thoughtful documentary craft will find resonance with the analytical provocations of The Century of the Self and The Corporation. It is a single contained season, and its power lies in argument rather than spectacle, making it a rewarding watch for anyone who wants context behind headlines about security and fear.

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