Review: ‘Fear(s) of the Dark’

What an absolutely wonderful film!

This animated feature is composed of several different story lines by some of the world’s most renowned graphic artists. Each of the stories is a different meditation on fear; what scares you in a darkened room might not scare me, so the filmmakers try to cover their bases and they hit a horror equivalent to a home run.

So often a horror film relies on the easy scares, the “jump† scares or the threat of violent gore, so it is a relief to see a film that relies on something different: mood and atmosphere. Like a Val Lewton classic, this film is drenched in shadows and existential dread.

Feature filmmakers dabbling in live-action horror would be wise to watch and learn from this powerfully suggestive horror film. This is real horror, real terror… the suggestive stuff. The kind of stuff that stays with you long after you’ve left the theater and gives you a slight shiver.

I’d like to make special mention of the film score by Laurent Perez. It’s perfect, just like the film it accompanies.

Fear(s) of the Dark opens in limited release starting Oct. 24 in NYC & Oct. 31 in L.A.

[Rating: 5/5]