Terrified by FEAR(S)

Another film I saw on my big trip last month was FEAR(S) OF THE DARK. I had been anticipating this film since I read about the Sundance description. ( I mentioned it previously here.) The film did not dissapoint. Thank god I was not stoned this night in Rotterdam becasue this movie woudl have freaked me out beyond belief if I was high.

FEAR(S) is a fantastic animated series of horror stories by different directors. I’d never before thought I could find animation so terrifying, one wouldn’t think it had such potential for thrills. All the various sections have been conceived together to function as a whole; this isn’t a collection of shorts. I would love to find out where the initial idea for this program came from, and I’m also tempted to think it was conceived to support the final chapter, which is stellar.

The film begins first with a small chapter in a larger piece that intercuts the other sections. It’s a beautifully rendered smudgy animation about a nobleman with four ferocious dogs, as he walks the countryside, they one by one break off the leash and commit various escalating atrocities to the nobleman’s delight. It has the feel of a dangerous old children’s tale like Roald Dahl or German fairytales.

Next is a chapter by the brilliant artist Charles Burns. Using his signature style and themes the story is a tale of infection, mutation, sexuality and a shy male protagonist. Burns’ greatest strength is in his character design and he's created a beauty here with great physical and psychological design.

The next story is a beautiful shift in style to an almost computer slick animation concerning a young Japanese girl who moves to a new house which is rumored to be haunted by a dead samurai. Brilliant original hallucinatory images give this an otherworld feeling; as soon as you feel grounded again this film knocks you off your feet.

After this, another interlaced story begins to wrap around the chapters, this one being a purely abstract geometrical animation, which is accompanied by a voiceover monologue about modern liberal guilt and fears, universal yet under vocalized. This is a brilliant addition to a series on fears; it’s so different, so unexpected and deeply terrifying in a wholly unexpected way.

The next chapter is another tale of a young child discovering horrors in areas around a rural life. This one is a bit more light fun and also has great character designs. The writing is not as striking as the chiaroscuro animation style.

The final chapter in this series is the tale of a man who seeks shelter in an old house during a snowstorm. Here the use of only white and black really becomes a virtuoso performance. The use and effect of lighting in this film proves that no computer effects will have the same impact as strong writing and creative use of animation’s forced perspectives. This final note is also the scariest piece in the whole, not just the most formally dazzling.