Phobias (2002)

Movie Review by The Mortician	10.30.02

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Here's two twisted stories of suspense and violence from a new horror director out of Florida named Robert Massetti. While the stories themselves are nothing special, they keep your interest. The first one deals with a man who is trying to figure out who is killing off his friends and family. The second follows a woman having problems after she kills her husband (in a truly creepy sequence) and ends up shacking up with a guy who isn't who he seems to be. The second episode really reminded me of early Brian DePalma plots, like BODY DOUBLE.While the stories are trite, the flair in which they are told is the star of the show. Fast cuts, cutting-edge violence that comes out of nowhere, and excellent camerawork are just part of the mix. It's clear that Robert Massetti knows what he's doing and knows how to get results. For a first-time director, he's sure-handed and confident.Massetti is also able to get excellent performances from his actors, a rarity in the horror scene these days. The performances he draws out of his players is comparable to anything you can see on major network television these days, and that's a compliment.Another thing Massetti is quite adept at is drawing out suspense. I jumped several times when seeing this movie and there's one scene in particular that is so simple yet effective: a character is talking on the phone and a nearby door keeps opening on its own. Is it a ghost? A hider in the closet? Or just the house settling....You'll find out!PHOBIAS is a horrific movie that's skillfully put together, and fans looking for a liberal dose of suspense and violence WILL NOT be disappointed. I think director Massetti has a bright future ahead of him and cannot wait to see what he comes up with next. Someone give this man a budget, he will be DANGEROUS!An extra bonus on this DVD is Tim Ritter's 1985 anthology movie TWISTED ILLUSIONS, which contains the original (UNCENSORED) TRUTH OR DARE short. This is a great addition, having two horror anthologies that were produced in sunny South Florida. What's in the water down there, anyway?Get this one NOW! » Search Database for Phobias (2002) Seen it? Rate it Currently nan/10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Rating: nan out of 10.0 - 0 votes cast total buy on dvd  |  buy poster del.icio.us  |  digg  |  reddit Enter your zipcode for movie listings: » BACK TO HORROR MOVIES LIST