Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Fear Clinic Blu-ray Movie Review

The only thing we have to fear is whether "Fear Clinic" fails to live up to its promise.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 10, 2015

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.

Dr. Andover (Englund) has conquered fear. He's constructed a "fear chamber," an enclosed bed in which he places his patients and guides them into an artificial journey through their fears, essentially trapping them in their deepest, darkest nightmares in hopes that the total immersion will cure them of their phobias. It works, but when a patient dies in the chamber, Andover gives up his work. Some time later, his clinic, now barely operational, is visited by a group of former patients, all of whom share in common a fear derived from, or made stronger by, their shared experiences in a mass shooting. Now, Andover has no choice but to man up and reboot the chamber. But he discovers that there's much more at play behind the scenes than simply cleansing his patents of their worst fears.

The web series-turned-movie turns out to be a fairly effective Horror flick, perhaps not destined to classic status but nevertheless a solid presentation that nicely blends together a solid core idea, deeper story details beyond the superficial, and a few good visual effects. Add in an eerie atmosphere and a strong performance from a genre legend and the movie manages to outmatch many of its Horror contemporaries that rely far too much on stale, vapid plot lines and interchangeable characters rather than work through something that's not only cinematically unusual, but very relatable. After all, everyone's seen Fear Factor or lives with some sort of phobia, be they more common ones like arachnophobia and xenophobia or more obscure fears like nosocomephobia and koumpounophobia. While the film doesn't dive headfirst into the human psyche and the root cause of fear beyond exposure to a traumatic event -- it's more concerned with the "fear boogeyman," for lack of a better term -- it manages to at least take a cursory look further in to what exists beyond the periphery and add some interesting details to its bag of tricks, going further than simple paranoia or fear and at least taking the time to explore the root causes and intertwine them with the broader issues at hand.

Stylistically, the movie is true to its roots. Despite its digital sheen and several virtual, rather than practical, effects, the picture hearkens back to the Horror heyday of the 1980s, yielding a darkly atmospheric and moody experience that's trumped-up to be sure but that visually merges with the tonal building blocks with commendable ease. The movie is further a big comeback for star Robert Englund, now again appearing in a meaty Horror movie rather than popping in for pay in junk like Zombie Strippers. The picture further largely abstains from including much in the way of fluff or filler, largely staying on-point and building towards its own spin on terror that does remind, in some ways, of the core plot points of Englund's own Nightmare series. The final shot, however, isn't difficult to see coming from the film's very early stages, but the ride is certainly an agreeable one nevertheless as it rolls through a movie built on a very relatable topic and crafted with an evident affection for and understanding of the inner working in the Horror genre.

Fear Clinic Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

Fear Clinic Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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.

Fear Clinic Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.