Marina Antunes [Celluloid 03.18.21] horror



Phobias is not your average anthology film. To begin with, it features a selection of phobias that are not instantly recognizable, and what's more it comes from the executive producing team of Radio Silence, the filmmaking team behind Ready or Not and the upcoming Scream sequel.



More than most movies of this ilk, Phobias feels like a cohesive feature film, the outcome of close collaboration between each of the five directors and shared production resources which meant that Phobias was shot more like a TV series than a typical anthology project. This doesn't mean that there isn't variation among the stories, each phobia is as unique as the storyteller behind it, but the collaboration results in a movie that actually feels like a movie rather than a bunch of disconnected stories crammed together just because.


The conceit is that five individuals who suffer from extreme phobias find themselves trapped in a government testing facility where a scientist is trying to harness the power of their fears and turn those fears into a weapon. Through flashbacks, we get to see what each individual suffers from and how they ended up at the facility. Segments are directed by Camilla Belle, Maritte Lee Go, Chris von Hoffmann, Joe Sill, and Jess Varley who also directed the connecting segment referred to as "Outpost 37."


We recently had a chance to speak with two of the film's writer/directors Maritte Lee Go and Jess Varley, who explained how the project came together, their experience making horror films as women, and what they're working on next.


Phobias opens in select theatres and is available on-demand on March 19.



Recommended Release: Phobias

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