You may note that this film was not only released during the fictitious centenni

You may note that this film was not only released during the fictitious centennial of the destruction of Pleasant Valley, but also during the height of the Civil Rights movement in the United States. How do you think this period of racial and regional tensions is reflected in the movie?
Southerners in film and television are often presented—if not as cartoonishly in this horror comedy—as “rednecks”, dangerous and hostile towards outsiders. Why do you think this is so? Can you think of other segments in American society who are depicted in such a negative way?