5.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A doctor works to cure patients suffering from crippling phobias by placing them inside his invention, which induces and controls hallucinations.
Starring: Robert Englund, Thomas Dekker, Kevin Gage, Fiona Dourif, Felisha TerrellHorror | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
From the common to the abstract, everyone is scared of something.
Much like vaccines aim to keep people from getting sick by injecting them with the very disease the vaccine was created to prevent, Fear
Clinic tells the story of a doctor who has devised a device that immerses patients into their deepest, darkest fears in hopes that full exposure will
rid them of their fears once and for all. Of course, dire consequences follow. Director Robert Hall's film, based on the web series of the same name
that he also directed, stars Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street) as the doctor behind the device, sort of a
reverse Jack Kevorkian who, rather than help take lives that have succumb to pain, aims to cure patients by essentially infecting, albeit briefly, more
pain by way
of great emotional and psychological trauma, effectively scaring the fear right out of them. It's a good, healthy, vibrant concept, and the film more
often than not proves a success, even as it is, like even many of the better genre pictures, a somewhat imperfect effort to tackle a brilliant idea.
Chambered.
Fear Clinic's 1080p transfer, sourced from a digital shoot, presents on Blu-ray with a very clean yet highly detailed visual image. Facial textures are wonderfully complex; close-ups reveal plenty of intricate information not only on complex skin textures but also icky bile and gore, clothes, and little bits around the clinic. Colors are satisfactorily even and vibrant, with the brighter, better-lit scenes obviously showing a more brilliant, diverse palette than is visible in the film's many darker interiors. Black levels, however, are richly deep and detailed, while flesh tones raise no alarms. Very light banding is evident in a couple of shots, but that's about it as far as imperfections go. This is a very strong presentation from Anchor Bay.
Fear Clinic features an active and diverse Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The track is filled with bits of ambience, whether light beeps and machinery sounds early on or more industrial, haunting pieces later in the show. The resultant creepy atmosphere, which is presented with full surround usage and a wide stage, help to better immerse the audience in the movie's audibly detailed world. Music is likewise well spaced and active, with strong clarity and detail throughout the range, including a healthy, heavy low end. Gunfire and screaming patrons and breaking background bits in the mass shooting sequences are very detailed and frighteningly immersive. Imaging and accurate sound placement are also key to the track, with excellent clarity and space evident in every example. Dialogue, whether straightforward center-based conversation or drifting, haunting voices floating around the stage, is clear and robust. This is a technically strong, highly detailed track from Anchor Bay.
All that's included is 'Fear Clinic:' Behind the Scenes (1080i, 11:51), a look at the transition from web series to feature film, story basics, character qualities and cast performances, shooting several key scenes, and more.
What better subject for a Horror film to tackle than the essence of Horror itself, fear? Fear Clinic dives into the world of innate terror and discovers that there's something else out there beyond the obstacles of real fear, something that needs fear, craves fear, and will do anything to make sure it's fed fear. With an eerie atmosphere, solid technical details, a lean pace, and a good cast -- headlined by genre legend Robert Englund in a lead, rather than background, role -- Fear Clinic proves well worth the price of admission. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release features high end video and audio, but the supplements are sadly limited to a single, brief featurette. Recommended.
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