Fear(s) of the Dark (2008)

'Dark' Attack

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy Fear(s) of the Dark on DVD

Six graphic artists and animators teamed up for this mostly black-and-white horror anthology. Charles Burns (Black Hole) directs the "Twilight Zone"-style story about a shy boy whose escaped insect specimen accidentally takes over the body of his first girlfriend. Marie Caillou tells a story of a little girl and the ghost of a samurai. Lorenzo Mattotti's segment tells the story of a mysterious creature terrorizing a village, told from the point of view of a curious, terrified boy. Richard McGuire's final sequence is the best; in it a man takes refuge in a dark, empty house. The frame is almost totally black at all times, and McGuire makes astonishing use of light as the man tries to find his way around using whatever he can to illuminate his way. Blutch directs a wraparound sequence about a demonic looking creature and some killer dogs. And Pierre di Sciullo's wraparound segment is merely a list of things to be afraid of, accompanied by lines and shapes. There are some chilling sequences here, and it's nice to see a fresh approach to the horror genre, but the movie doesn't really dig its nails in very far. The DVD from IFC Films comes with several behind-the-scenes featurettes.

With: (voices) Aure Atika, Arthur H, Guillaume Depardieu, Nicole Garcia, Louisa Pili, Gil Alma, Francois Creton, Sarah-Laure Estragnat, Nicolas Feroumont, Christian Hecq, Christian Hincker, Lino Hincker, Melaura Honnay, Amelie Lerma, Florence Maury, Adriana Piasek-Wanski, Amaury Smets, Brigitte Sy, Laurent Van Der Rest, Charlotte Vermeil, Andreas Vuillet
Written by: Blutch, Charles Burns, Romain Slocombe, Pierre di Sciullo, Jerry Kramsky, Richard McGuire, Michel Pirus
Directed by: Blutch, Charles Burns, Marie Caillou, Pierre di Sciullo, Lorenzo Mattotti, Richard McGuire
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Language: French, with English subtitles
Running Time: 83 minutes
Date: January 5, 2010