Though there are a few splashes of red on display – not all of the blood here is black – the decision to maintain the same stark, monochromatic palette for each of the contributions is a wise one. With his meagre amount of candlelight, he is unable to see that he is not alone there. Here, a weary traveller takes refuge from a snowstorm inside a gloomy old house. Yet more effective is the final segment, by American graphic artist Richard McGuire. At one point in the segment by Italian illustrator Lorenzo Mattotti – about a village terrorized by a beast said to descend from the clouds and hide in the marshes – the screen fades to black as an ill-fated goose honks its last before being snatched away. Making good on its name, Fear(s) of the Dark plunges audiences into darkness on several memorable occasions. But their likes are rare – even the makers of 30 Days of Night ignored the promise in the movie's title by keeping matters disappointingly bright. Recent cult hits such as The Descent and the Spanish film increased tension levels by drastically limiting what moviegoers were able to see. Though a time-tested tool for creating suspense, it's a tactic that's become surprisingly rare in horror cinema. and Europe, this French-made chiller proves just how scary a pitch-black theatre can be. 14AĪn animated anthology film featuring contributions by six sinister-minded comic and graphic artists from the U.S.
Directed by Blutch, Charles Burns, Marie Caillou, Pierre di Sciullo, Lorenzo Mattotti, Richard McGuire.
Featuring Guillaume Depardieu, Nicole Garcia and Louisa Pili.