Directed by Robert J. Massetti

Talk about a great surprise! PHOBIAS is an anthology of sorts that consist of 2 excellent suspense horror shorts. What caught me off guard was how well shot these movies were. The first story, WHEN SHADOWS LIE DARKEST, I thought, was shot on a mini DV camcorder, or so it looked. By that I mean it was obviously shot on video , but very clean and the colors showed well. It actually ends up that it was shot on hi-8! A Sony Hi-8 was used and that told me that alot of effort was put into it. Some of the micro budget stuff I see is shot on these expensive Dv cams or 3 chips, but they do not come anywhere near the quality of the Hi-8 in this short!. But the quality isn't the movie. The story is what matters, and SHADOWS...delivers and then some. It deals with a man who can't tell whether his nightmares are real or not. Sounds basic, but you will be interested the whole time.

BLACKOUT, the second story, deals with a wife who kills her husband during a blackout. As she tries to get on with her life, she keeps having strange occurances, and she doesn't know if her dead husband or her new friend, who likes to joke around, is behind them. This was shot on a XL-1, and is one of the most professional looking no budget movies, ever. Working with no money and making a movie that looks like it had fifty times the budget, FEARFILM is sure to be a forced to be reckoned with. BLACKOUT has a very ARGENTOesque lighting scheme, and relies on heavy atmosphere. The kitchen scene had me on edge, and when you see it, you will know what I mean! DVD: Great. Like I said before, the director, also the DP on these films, knows how to light a scene. That is something missing in most no budget films, and that helps out alot. The colors are vibrant and the picture is clean and clear. The sound is excellent. No complaints.

On most of my SUB ROSA dvd reviews, I might seem like a kiss fool, but the SUB ROSA discs are always top notch. They all come with good extras, and PHOBIAS is no exception. Bloopers, behind the scenes, and a great commentary are on the disc. The commentary shines, and any aspiring filmmaker should listen to it. Very informative. Get it.

Review By Gordo

Visit Robert J. Massetti here