Fear[s] of the Dark

An absolutely charming animation. Edgy and unusual and in parts extremely dark. To those reviewers who wine that is not horrifying enough I would remind them it is rated a 12, so don't expect carnage..... just a chill, but chilling and beautifully crafted it is. What a delight.

A superb series of French shorts, each one haunting and mysterious. Particularly good to see an entire segment drawn by Charles Burns.

Anyone who likes gothic/ ghost stories or has encountered the artist's and animator's other works should definitley watch this.

This really was something different.

The animation style is dark and really compliments the gritty nature of the film. Some skilled artists have been working hard on this.

There's not really anything I can compare this too. It's a collection of stories, each of which has a disturbing and somewhat horrific ending but at the same time do really make you think about the behaviours and actions of the human mind. I think the most disturbing thing about this is that the characters are not that unbelievable.

If you are into works of the likes of Kafka and Lovecraft, then this is for you.

There are basically four short films in this collection, punctuated by excerpts from two others. Be warned - these are art films which the sales agent's blurb hypes as the work of the animation world's 'coolest, most hip underground artists'.

Don't let that put you off. It's certainly a mixed bag. The brief seems to have been to use only black and white, and for the most part the results are amazing. For me, the drawn animation sequences of Blutch - in which an apparently demented man in 18th century costume walks around with ferocious dogs on a lead - was truly nightmarish and disturbing.

The most satiisfying film - in terms of story and animation - is for me the last film here by Richard McGuire and Michel Pirus. Escaping from a blizzard (white) a man breaks into a house (pitch black) and uncovers its horrific secret. The Charles Burns and Lorenzo Matotti/Jerry Kramsky films were visually stunning but a bit thin in story terms, and the other two were - for me - dreadful. The music is brilliant.

If this is indeed an experimental work I'd say it was pretty successful and would love to see more of the same and will keep a look out for McGuire, Pirus, Burns and Blutch (is he Mark Everett's French cousin?).

If you like animation, give this a try - I think you'll find it worthwhile and would should also sample the work of the Quay Brothers, Phil Mulloy and Jan Svankmajer.

If you can't abide a) unconventional animation and b) subtitles, give it a wide berth and for Pete's sake spare us your witless negative reviews as well.

First of all, the animation in this movie, although it looks simplistic, is fantastic. You are treated to an interesting mix of animations designed to scare and shock it's viewer. And to be honest at least one of them may do the same with you.

The only problem I have with this film, is that although it deals with horror, many people are scared of different things, obviously and they have tried to show that in this film. But due to it's collective nature of stories which dance around (never confusingly) it never seems to get to an absolute shock which leaves you worrying what's under the bed at night. Instead it leaves you slightly unsettled and dissapointed, it did for me anyway.

The best animations in my opinion were the Blutch sements, which followed an unpleasant man, walking a pack of ravenous dogs. Which was all drawn like an old sketch.

I loved Charles Burns' retro style story of 'something' which forces the gender roles of a couple to switch, with it's very destinct, comic book / american atomic family style.

And I adored Richard Mcguire's tale of a lonely man, in a dark house. As he animates it as if your watching the story from the shadows of the house. Beautiful.

The other animations didn't really 'stay' with me, but may do with you and are just as distinct in style as the ones which I liked. Which is excellent for a film full of short stories and the way it should be.

This is worth a rental, even if you take only one thing from it. Nowadays all animation is obsessed with bringing 3D images to you, leaving little for your imagination. This proves that the same techniques can be used and have different responses.

Definetly for animation enthusiasts and fans. Have a look at the darker side of this art form. But would not reccomend for young children.