Fantastic Fest 2009

"This started as a spec script by Anthony DiBlasi who came in as an intern to Seraphim (Barker's horror film production label) six years ago. We try our best to advance people to where they want to go and Anthony is, to me, the definitive success story. Here's a guy who, six years on from joining the company, has written and directed his first movie. And heís done a fucking brilliant job." - Clive Barker, from his Bloody Disgusting interview.

 

Stephen (Jackson Rathbone from Twilight), Quaid (Shaun Evans) and Cheryl (Hanne Steen), graduate students at Boston College are "seeking to interview men and women for an academic study on fear. Participants will be asked to reveal their innermost terrors on camera." Most of their subjects are mundane, some are fabricating stories to hone their drama department chops but a few of their subjects suffer from the genuine article, deep-seated psyche-scarring fears. Joshua (Jonathan Readwin) suffered from temporary hearing loss as a child and is deathly afraid of loud noises and the thought of losing his senses again. Abby (Laura Donnelly) has a massive birthmark that covers half of her face and body and lives with a constant fear of humiliation. Even our team behind the camera gets into the mix; Cheryl tells a deeply personal tale of sexual abuse and why she can no longer abide the smell, let alone the taste of meat. She is not the only one on the team, however, with deep dark secrets rattling around in her subconscious. Quaid, naturally combative to begin with, becomes violently possessive of the project and wants to take it to the next level. What happens next is a wickedly spiraling sadistic freakout that pounds out the thrills all the way to the end credits. Dread is considered by many Clive Barker fans to be one of the best stories in his Books of Blood series, and first time director DiBlasi really nails every nuance of the story. (Tim League)