fear movie review 2023

Fear Review: Intense, Clever Horror Film Finds Friends Facing Their Fears

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Knives Out 3 Gets Exciting Update & New Image From Rian Johnson

This 1989 box-office flop doomed tom selleck’s movie career, 10 most quotable lines from deadpool & wolverine.

Basic fear is an evolutionary response that warns us animals of threatening stimuli; in short, fear is supposed to keep the mortality rate down. There are different types of fear, though. Fear is biological, but its more nefarious variant, hysteria, is social, a collective cumulation of fear that takes what are logical defense responses and turns them into illogical, dangerous behavior. The fear of being in a crowded space while millions of people around the world are dying of a contagious airborne disease is rational; the fear of not having enough toilet paper during a disease which has nothing to do with gastrointestinal distress is irrational.

Collective fear and its individualized effects wrought by COVID-19 partly inspired filmmaker Deon Taylor to create Fear , an aptly titled (and gradually terrifying) meditation on the subject. It's a cleverly constructed horror film, the cinematic manifestation of the full, actual quote from FDR : “Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” Again, fear is not a problem in and of itself, but rather "nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror," and that's exactly what Fear explores in expert and increasingly intense ways.

Fears Come to Life in This Actually Scary Horror Movie

Fear opens with unsettling imagery that brings to mind some of the early Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson music videos, or the opening titles of American Horror Story , setting an efficiently creepy tone. That atmosphere remains throughout the film, but it actually takes about 35 minutes to establish any actual horror in Fear . This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it sets up the group dynamic and creates an attachment with some of the characters in this ensemble cast.

The film begins with Rom (Joseph Sikora) driving Bianca (Annie Ilonzeh) to a relatively isolated lodge to surprise her with a birthday celebration — and an even bigger surprise proposal. A group of close friends awaits them at the Strawberry Lodge — Serena (Ruby Modine), Russ (Terrence Jenkins), Benny (Andrew Bachelor), Lou (Tip "T.I." Harris), Michael (Iddo Goldberg), Meg (Jessica Allain), and Kim (Tyler Abron). It may be two or three too many characters for a film with a 95-minute runtime, but the ensemble cast does allow for a larger exploration of different fears.

Related: 10 Horror Movies Coming in 2023 to Get Excited About

Rom picked the Strawberry Lodge for multiple reasons. It's a large, nice estate for a gathering and a proposal, but it also has complicated myths and horrific rumors surrounding its past, and Rom is an author researching a book about fear. Neither Bianca, a budding religious scholar, nor anyone else realizes this, and when the group drinks a nasty, possibly drug-laced wine at the end of the night, their fears catch up to them in the form of horrifying hallucinations — or possibly demonic, supernatural visions.

Deon Taylor's Topical Themes in Fear

After the film's extensive set-up, an effective sense of dread builds when the group, who are already paranoid about COVID-19, watch news broadcasts of an even more dangerous and contagious virus . They're told to not even go outside, but begin to have suspicions about at least one of their own, who appears to be sick. Paranoia escalates into abrasive and violent behavior, disrupting the unity of the group; when they become separated, their innermost fears seem to externalize and become a reality for each of them.

The atmospheric gloom of Fear builds masterfully in one direction, as if the volume is slowly being turned up for an hour-and-a-half on a symphony of screams. There aren't peaks and plateaus in Fear , but rather one constant trajectory toward terror which just grows and grows as the friends are torn apart by suspicion, distracted by hallucinations, and lured deeper into madness.

The idea of individualized fears being brought to life in deadly ways has been used a handful of times previously, most notably in the second season of Channel Zero and the aptly titled film Fear, Inc. It's a great template for horror, because it's conducive to so many variations — almost anything can be feared, and thus turned into horror. Fear plays with the idea in interesting ways, personalizing most characters' greatest fears while also making them topically relevant. A Black man's fear of wrongful arrest by the police, or an asthmatic woman's fear of the very air we breathe being poisoned by viruses, all feel extremely contemporary and propel Fear toward its greater themes.

Overcoming Your Fear

Fear becomes relentless, gruesome, and surprising. The visualizations Taylor creates (and the ways in which cinematographer Christopher Duskin and Encore VFX realize them) are memorably haunting. The aural and visual textures of these hallucinations are great; distortion, lighting, sound design, visual effects, and good performances come together to create many actually scary moments. The editing from Martin Bernfeld and Peck Prior is simple but perfect, increasing the pace and occasionally tricking the viewer. On a technical level, Fear works really well as both a psychological horror film and a classic haunted house movie.

Related: Horror Movies That Are Actually Scary

Intellectually speaking, Fear is far more astute than most horror films, and reflects some very real issues of the past few years. Yes, it falls victim to some old horror tropes, but in some ways, they're used in order to elucidate the film's points. Fear can be a paradoxical thing. Hysteria is a collective response, but its consequences are most felt in isolation, and the worst suffering and bloodshed in this film occurs when the characters are alone with their own thoughts and anxieties. Ironically, it often takes a group of courageous, compassionate, and considerate people to break the spell, as opposed to the blind fear of masses. Fear is a controlling factor, and even when someone is alone, it can dictate the terms of their life. That's why friends, lovers, family, and wise people are so important; we often need people outside our own head to point out the illogic of our fears.

In its own creepy way, Fear explores that exact paradox of how terror can be generated by groupthink, but how the spell can be broken by good, close people. The film is also surprisingly religious (which makes sense — the horror genre may be the last bastion of religiosity in mainstream Hollywood and media). While Fear certainly doesn't posit that the only way one can conquer their fears is through belief in a higher power, it does provide a fascinating contrast between faith and fear. The former is about trust; the latter concerns suspicion. Faith, or even the minutiae of hope, can fight fear by locating something bigger than it, something more powerful than terror. In Fear , that may be God or love, and in life, it could be just about anything. A line is repeated in Fear — "Believing what you fear will bring to the victim what they are afraid of." Ultimately, through a lot of grisly horror, Taylor's film shows that there are greater things to believe in than fear, and that's a message we all need to hear.

Fear is produced and distributed by Hidden Empire Film Group, and will be in theaters nationwide beginning Friday, January 27.

• Movie and TV Reviews

Review: Deon Taylor’s pandemic thriller ‘Fear’ prioritizes style over scares

• Copy Link URL Copied!

Deon Taylor is a fascinating figure, having forged his own path as a Black filmmaker in Hollywood, independently producing, and now distributing, his films. He also seems to be single-handedly keeping the mid-budget adult thriller alive (see: “The Intruder,” “Black and Blue,” “Traffik”). He is rigorously focused on the craft of filmmaking, but he’s also obsessed with serving a multicultural audience that goes largely underserved by certain swaths of the industry. A global pandemic was certainly not going to derail his mission, and in his latest film, the horror flick “Fear,” Taylor takes the pandemic head-on, utilizing our collective anxieties as the grist for his storytelling mill.

“Fear” is a COVID movie, and a contagion film, and a haunted house story rolled into 100 feverishly stylized minutes. Joseph Sikora stars as horror novelist Rom, who takes his girlfriend, Bianca (Annie Ilonzeh), on a weekend getaway in Northern California as a reprieve from the pandemic lockdown. They arrive at the rustic Strawberry Lodge and as he’s about to propose, he blanches and falters, instead revealing that he’s invited their group of friends to celebrate Bianca’s birthday. They’ve got the lodge to themselves for the weekend, and seriously, don’t worry about the incredibly creepy innkeeper who leaves them a terrible bottle of wine, or the detailed stories that Rom tells about the miners who tortured and killed Indigenous women thought to be witches. Nope, nothing to worry about at all.

For your safety

The Times is committed to reviewing theatrical film releases during the COVID-19 pandemic . Because moviegoing carries risks during this time, we remind readers to follow health and safety guidelines as outlined by the CDC and local health officials .

As the friends confess their phobias around the campfire as a means of catharsis, the story unfolds every which way. There’s the fear of contagion and paranoia that sets in, especially after a news report about a new variant, and as Lou (rapper T.I.) becomes increasingly ill. There’s the “Brujas of Fear” taking hold of their minds, as it becomes clear that Rom combined his book research with his weekend getaway. But are these friends letting their own fear infect each other, or is it the brujas, because that’s an important distinction.

“Fear” relies on craft for creating atmosphere and tension — the sickly greenish handheld cinematography by Christopher Duskin, the pounding score by Geoff Zanelli and the impeccable sound design. But the script, by Taylor and John Ferry, proves that it is possible to have too many ideas for just one film. Taylor’s other outings, like “The Intruder” and “Black and Blue,” were sleeker and more streamlined high-concept projects; in “Fear” it feels like he’s throwing everything at the wall — thematically and aesthetically — not to see if it sticks, but because he so enthusiastically wants to do it all. The overwrought screenplay, however, doesn’t get deep enough with the characters, or allow anything to breathe.

Deadliest of all, “Fear” is just not scary. The jump scares don’t land, the fears themselves are all a bit silly and it feels like Taylor is holding back for the majority of the run time. An hour in, the setup is still going on as Rom rummages through old photographs, putting together connections the audience has never been privy to. We’re both ahead of these characters, who are a little too dumb to root for (with the exception of Bianca, an excellent “final girl”), and playing catch-up at the same time. It doesn’t start ripping until the last few minutes, when the film should have been unleashed the entire time.

Ultimately, Taylor’s goal with “Fear” is to argue that we shouldn’t let fear rule our lives, but he doesn’t so much as show why that is rather than just repeat it. But set against a global pandemic, the film proves the opposite — in moderation, fear can be a good thing.

Katie Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.

Rated: R, for bloody violence and language Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes Playing: Starts Jan. 27 in general release

More to Read

Jump scares? That’s yesterday’s stale gore. Two new horror films break the rules

May 30, 2024

Review: ‘Home Alone’ with fangs, ‘Abigail’ is a comedy that goes violently wrong for kidnappers

April 16, 2024

Review: ‘Monsters of the American Cinema’ confronts the horror in grief

Only good movies

Get the Indie Focus newsletter, Mark Olsen's weekly guide to the world of cinema.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

More From the Los Angeles Times

Entertainment & Arts

Michael Oher speaks out for the first time amid legal battle with the Tuohy family

Aug. 19, 2024

The makers of ‘Alien: Romulus’ defend their AI-resurrected Ian Holm: ‘We did it all with a lot of respect’

Review: In ‘Skincare,’ cutthroat competition in the L.A. beauty industry leads to a face-plant

Aug. 18, 2024

Review: ‘Sugarcane’ unearths abuses of a Canadian school program meant for Indigenous children

Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

Movie Review – Fear (2023)

January 26, 2023 by Robert Kojder

Fear , 2023.

Directed by Deon Taylor. Starring Joseph Sikora, Ruby Modine, Iddo Goldberg, Andrew Bachelor, Annie Ilonzeh, T.I., Terrence Jenkins, Jessica Allain, Tyler Abron, and Kevin Simon.

A much-needed getaway and a celebration weekend turns into a nightmare due to the contagious airborne threat.

Typically, a film set during the pandemic mentions COVID. In Deon Taylor’s Fear , this is awkwardly referred to by characters as a new variant of an airborne threat, as if the script (co-written by Deon Taylor and John Ferry) is afraid to utilize any specific language in connection with the real-world pandemic. As such, it’s practically impossible to tell whether Fear is set in reality and what his beliefs on COVID are, but one thing is certain; one quickly stops caring because the central horror is derivative beyond belief.

Rom (Joseph Sikora, a regular collaborator of Deon Taylor) is a respected author participating in an interview promoting the concept of his next book, which is a deep dive into the meaning of fear itself. He is also romantically entangled with Bianca (Annie Ilonzeh), eager to make a marriage proposal but consistently gets cold feet. Perhaps a vacation with their friends to a remote mountainside hotel will give him the confidence to pop that question and get over his commitment fears. Or maybe, it’s a historically haunted location that he uses as a backdrop to flesh out his next book without telling anyone what they are really doing there.

There isn’t a single subtle moment in Fear , as the owners are instantly creepy while the building gives off an eerie vibe. However, it’s not executed in a manner that provides chills (everything from the inexplicably desaturated color grading and inevitable CGI of witches is painful to look at), choosing to rely on the laziest loud noise jump scares. This rancid material is only made worse by the inept performances and one-dimensional characters that tell you everything you need to know through their appearances or 30 seconds exposition dumps briefly summarizing their greatest fear.

But I don’t want to come down hard on Fear for being a budget flick with few resources. No, the narrative here seems to think that supernatural entities using the characters’ fears against themselves to induce suicide is refreshing, so long as some baffling pandemic nonsense is thrown in. Aside from a scene where one character repeatedly bashes his head against a toilet, there’s also nothing exciting to note about the deaths. Characters turn against each other, believing that they are being targeted by a pandemic rather than witches, which eventually leads to someone concluding that they can’t be killed if they aren’t afraid, which feels like dangerous rhetoric to place in a COVID-adjacent horror movie.

There’s also the fact that none of the fears on display are relatively engaging or thought-out. Instead, it’s another opportunity to reach into the grab bag of horror clichés. When characters finally started getting killed off, I had already forgotten their fears and had to rely on deciphering the scene itself to remember, which is easy enough. It’s a testament to how forgettable and, at times, embarrassing Fear is.

Deon Taylor doesn’t exactly have a good track record ( The Intruder , Meet the Blacks ), so over the years, watching his latest work has become a cinematic fear of mine. It has not changed with Fear .

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★  / Movie: ★

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check  here  for new reviews, follow my  Twitter  or  Letterboxd , or email me at [email protected]

FMTV – Watch Our Latest Video Here

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

10 Incredibly Influential Action Movies

Horror Video Games We Need As Movies

Ten Action Sequels The World Needs To See

The Essential Films of John Woo

Fan Casting Jordan Peele’s 2026 Movie: 8 Actors We Must See

10 Legends of the 1980s Who Disappeared

Godzilla Minus One and the Essential Toho Godzilla Movies

How Will Quentin Tarantino Bow Out?

Forgotten 90s Horror Movies You Have To See

The Essential Tony Scott Movies

• Comic Books
• Video Games
• Toys & Collectibles
• Articles and Opinions
• About Flickering Myth
• Write for Flickering Myth
• Advertise on Flickering Myth
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy

• Pop Culture
• In Theaters
• Blu-Ray Discs
• instagram [#167] Created with Sketch.

Follow the JOBLO MOVIE NETWORK

Follow us on youtube.

Follow ARROW IN THE HEAD

Follow aith on youtube.

Home » Horror News » Fear (2023) Review

Fear (2023) Review

Fear may be corny and on the nose, but it’s got some great atmosphere and provides plenty of thrills in this January dump month.

Last Updated on February 8, 2023

PLOT : A much-needed getaway and celebration weekend becomes a nightmare due to a contagious airborne threat.

REVIEW : Fear is universal, and it’s prevalent in nearly every horror movie since the dawn of cinema. Whether it’s a monster feeding off a victim’s fear to grow stronger or to make their meal tastier, it’s an element that’s been the center of many stories. So it’s great to see a film take so many everyday fears like drowning and claustrophobia and see them amplified by the supernatural. Because if there’s one thing the viewer can understand quickly, it’s fear.

Fear is one of the first movies filmed in 2020 after Covid upended the world. And this is in every bit of the film’s DNA. There’s an airborne contagion; the world seems to end, and they’re paranoid of each other. Sound familiar? While it can be a little on the nose at points, I really enjoyed the ride. There were several moments that would have hit harder had this film been released about a year sooner, but plenty still feels relevant today. It’s always such a relief to have a horror movie that’s not filled with stereotypes, and this does a good job of avoiding them, even if the characters could have used it to add a little personality.

One thing I’d really count against Fear is that most of the characters really blend together. There aren’t many distinct personalities. They’re all friends, and they’re all scared. That’s about it. Making them more distinct would have gone a long way, especially since all the actors are good. In particular, I’d say TI and Annie Ilonzeh stood out the most, as they had a bit of meat to their characters. I’m a big Ruby Modine fan, so I was disappointed with how little she had to do here.

There’s a lot of exposition that has to happen to understand all the rules of fear completely. Witch? Demon? Ghost? It doesn’t really matter because, despite it being the main antagonist, the characters are really fighting their own fears. Which kind of kneecaps the villain a bit? Then the special effects, with a strange black ooze that looks eerily like Venom, don’t do them any favors. This physical representation really doesn’t work and will lose some viewers. Even still, I enjoyed it. Exposition can really stand out when it’s being doled out nonstop through dialogue. But, by having the main character, an author researching for his book, his discoveries make sense.

Director Deon Taylor provides a fast-paced and dread-induced horror flick. Everything is so visually interesting that I didn’t even realize how little had happened in the first hour. He really lets you ruminate in the tension. I worry that repeat viewings will hurt it because while many of the setups are good, they just sort of…end. The kills are pretty by-the-numbers, and I was shocked to see that the film was Rated R as it feels like a heavy PG-13. Given the supernatural element and use of fear, I wish the deaths were more imaginative. Standard stabbings, slashing, and smotherings feel tame. Especially since, a lot of the time, they have nothing to do with the attached fear.

I’m sure Fear will be divisive. It’s definitely for more of the casual horror fan but I won’t let a few moments of corniness ruin what an otherwise fun ride is. And I absolutely loved how the movie looked, with the fear sequences really standing out. Too many movies look the same these days, so I’ll always commend anything that goes above and beyond to be different. While I wish the characters would have been a little more memorable and the deaths more imaginative, I still enjoyed my time with Fear .

Fear is IN THEATERS JANUARY 27TH, 2023 .

Fear (2023)

Viewer ratings (0 reviews), add your rating.

About the Author

Tyler Nichols is a horror fanatic who resides in Michigan and is always on the hunt for the next great film. When not scouring the internet for movie news, he is usually off watching something dark, writing nonsensical musings, or playing in some fantastical video game world. While horror takes up most of his time, he still makes time for films of all types, with a certain affinity for the strange and unusual. He’s also an expert on all things Comic Book Cinema. In addition to reviews and interviews here on JoBlo.com, Tyler also helps with JoBlo Horror Originals where he’s constantly trying to convince viewers to give lesser-known horror films a chance.

Latest Fear (2023) News

Interviews: Tip “TI” Harris, Joseph Sikora, and more discuss Fear (2023).

Latest horror news.

Alien: Romulus director on bringing back that surprise character (SPOILERS)

Alien: Romulus director Fede Álvarez on bringing back that surprise character for the movie, but watch out for SPOILERS!

SOULM8TE: Claudia Doumit of The Boys joins film set in the M3GAN universe

Claudia Doumit of The Boys has joined the sci-fi thriller SOULM8TE, which is set in the universe of the M3GAN films

Crystal Lake: Brad Caleb Kane is the Friday the 13th TV series’ new showrunner

Brad Caleb Kane, co-showrunner of It: Welcome to Derry, has been chosen to replace Bryan Fuller as the Crystal Lake showrunner

Azrael: Samara Weaving action horror film gets a trailer ahead of September release

A trailer has been released for Azrael, a Samara Weaving action horror film that reaches theatres in September

Poltergeist TV series sets Fear the Walking Dead and Supernatural alums as showrunners

Amazon MGM Studios has found the showrunners for their Poltergeist TV series and their credits include Fear the Walking Dead and Supernatural

Crossed: Garth Ennis horror comic is getting the film treatment

The Garth Ennis-created horror comic book series Crossed is getting the film treatment, with a screenplay by Ennis.

The Running Man’s Glen Powell says new Stephen King adaptation will have fun Edgar Wright flavor

Glen Powell confirms that Edgar Wright is bringing that fun Edgar Wright flavor to the new adaptation of The Running Man

Batman: Resurrection novel is set between Tim Burton’s Batman and Batman Returns

Coming in October, the novel Batman: Resurrection is set between the events of Tim Burton’s Batman and Batman Returns

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice producers and Tim Burton haven’t discussed Beetlejuice 3 yet

With Beetlejuice Beetlejuice about to reach theatres, director Tim Burton and the producers are holding off on Beetlejuice 3 discussions

Eternal Champions: Sega fighting game is getting a film adaptation

The 1993 Sega fighting game Eternal Champions is getting a film adaptation from Skydance and the writer of Jurassic World

It's quick and easy to login and vote!

Notice: All forms on this website are temporarily down for maintenance. You will not be able to complete a form to request information or a resource. We apologize for any inconvenience and will reactivate the forms as soon as possible.

• DVD & Streaming

Content Caution

In Theaters

• January 27, 2023
• Joseph Sikora as Rom; Annie Ilonzeh as Bianca; T.I. as Lou; Iddo Goldberg as Michael; Andrew Bachelor as Benny; Ruby Modine as Serena; Terrence Jenkins as Russ; Jessica Allain as Meg; Terrence Jenkins as Russ

Home Release Date

• April 25, 2023
• Deon Taylor

Distributor

• Hidden Empire Releasing

Movie Review

The one problem with publishing a popular, best-selling book is that you’re always feeling pressure to come up with something every bit as good for your next effort.

Rom is just such a newly successful author. And since he and his girlfriend, Bianca, have been isolated in the midst of the COVID shutdown, he hasn’t been very successful in digging up a suitable follow-up. But then he comes up with a brilliant solution for his next project and all his current concerns: He’ll book a getaway.

Rom arranges to rent out an entire historic resort for himself, Bianca and a gaggle of great friends. It’ll be a cool surprise for Bianca’s birthday, Rom reasons. But on top of that, he’ll make sure that everyone is tested so it can be a terrific fresh-air vacation from the pandemic for one and all—not to mention a fabulous occasion to publicly propose to the woman he loves.

Oh, and the book? It just so happens that the historic Strawberry Lodge is located in an isolated part of California that’s known for its mythology and lore—particularly the legends of Las Brujas , Mexican witches who stoked fears and stole souls. It’s just the stuff that he needs to spark his next book about mythology in the Americas.

When the crew all gets there, however, everything just feels a little off. Rom’s best friend, Lou, is sounding sick, for one thing—coughing and snuffling. And that has some in the group on edge. The old junk-filled lodge has a certain creepiness about it, too. So much so that the group’s first gathering crumbles from cheerfulness to talking about everyone’s greatest fear.  

It all feels so weird and dispiriting.

But later that night, Rom starts rambling around the big old lodge and finds a hidden stash of stuff that might explain what everyone is feeling: age-old pictures and books. Paintings of devil-like characters with really creepy notations. Some written bits speak of dark ceremonies and witchy events.

At first Rom is elated that he’s hit a treasure trove for his book.

But then his next thought is about what this old place might actually be. Not only that, he’s locked all his friends inside it.

Positive Elements

The gathered group of friends all apparently enjoy each other and care for one another. Rom’s male friends are also very encouraging about Rom’s plan to propose and marry Bianca. (But with time the whole group’s collective fears get the best of them and they aren’t very nice to one another.)

Spiritual Elements

There is a dark, pervasive, spiritual atmosphere here, and some found books and pictures (and other events) suggest that a certain chest in the Strawberry Lodge basement is actually a gateway to the demonic. We hear of witchcraft and ceremonies in which souls are stolen and fed into that gateway.

One of the friends seeks information about Las Brujas online and looks at pictures and short videos of witches and covens. And some of the witches’ occult power seems to still be lodged in the lodge. Rom finds, for instance, a seemingly spiritual dictate in an old book that says, “Believing what you fear will bring to the victim what they are afraid of.” In like manner, someone says, “Fear and faith are the same.”

Bianca wears a cross, and a female caretaker at the lodge says that Bianca “carries the light.” We later find out that Bianca recently finished her doctorate in religion. That knowledge leads Bianca to connect a later-found number to a Scripture verse. She determines it’s Isaiah 41:9 (which she carries over into verse 10) and reads it aloud:

“I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’. I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you …’”

That Scripture encourages Bianca and Rom to push back against the evil manipulations about them. Bianca even repeats the last part of those verses to ward off a ghostly creature that attacks her. Rom encourages Bianca not to lose her faith in the moments of greatest attack.

Someone casually watches a TV evangelist preaching for a few moments. Lou, who appears sick, declares that he was tested and isolated before the retreat. “It’s the God’s honest truth,” he proclaims.

Sexual Content

One of the women wears skimpy lingerie that reveals a lot of leg and a little backside. And her boyfriend kisses his way up that leg and rear.

We see Bianca in lightweight nightwear, too. She reveals to her friends that she’s pregnant. Rom and Bianca kiss. Several of the female friends wear curve-hugging outfits.

A drawing of a witch sports a bare breast.

Violent Content

Early on in the film, Rom and his friends all share their greatest fears and we see all of them play out in one form or another. Many of these fears (but not all) are manifested in personal visions or memories that terrorize the individual while other deadly things take place in the real world.

One woman remembers being held underwater as a girl, for instance, while she slips and drowns in a tub in the real world. In another case, a guy envisions himself trapped in a very small space while in the real world he repeatedly slams his heavily bloodied forehead into a bathroom sink.

We see people stabbed (one by a large knife to the stomach) and thereafter bleeding profusely. We’re also shown an open wound. Several people snap their own necks. A man sees himself grabbed and beaten by a policeman. Someone is locked in a room where he hears whispered voices. He then struggles with his own hand which is holding a knife—eventually slashing his own throat and bleeding out on the floor.

A woman pulls bloody teeth out of her mouth. A man is strapped to a gurney, his shirt is ripped open and a masked man cuts at his chest (just off screen) with a bone saw. Someone wakes, gagging, and pulls a chain out of her throat.

A swirling spiritual mass—looking like tentacles or worms—grabs people and drags them away, or envelopes them. It also takes more human form at one point to choke someone.

Crude or Profane Language

There are more than 35 f-words and 7 s-words in the dialogue joined by multiple uses of “h—,” “d–n,” “a–hole” and “b–ch.”

There are four or five uses of a variation on the n-word in the movie soundtrack. God’s name is misused once.

Drug and Alcohol Content

Bianca, who is an asthmatic, repeatedly uses a medical inhaler. The group of friends share glasses of champagne and wine on several occasions. One bottle of wine—a private label belonging to the Strawberry Lodge—is opened and shared, too. But the friends uniformly think it is bad or spiked with some other substance. (Which is possible since they all later have visions.)

Other Negative Elements

A spider crawls into a sleeping young woman’s mouth. Several people hear whispered voices that speak of things such as a friend’s distrust and encouragements to commit suicide.

A news report about a new viral pandemic strain—causing hallucinations and physical sickness—permeates the outside air like a smog. It’s considered deadly.

Sometimes a film makes for a much more effective trailer than a movie. Such is the case with Fear. This pic contains a hodge-podge of ghoulish images—a woman pulling bloody teeth from her mouth; someone drowning; a shirtless man being approach by a masked surgeon with a whirring bone saw. When gathered together in a trailer, those icky bits imply something extremely creepy. But truthfully, Fear as a whole is just bad.

I’m not suggesting that fully fleshed torture and torment would be good in any situation. But when it’s mashed up in a tedious and completely ill-defined pic like Fear, it’s somehow even worse.

The only thing this unmoored horror film gets right is when a character, late in the tale, quotes a passage from Isaiah that states that thanks to God, we should not fear. That Scripture doesn’t go so far as to say you shouldn’t watch fear … but I will.

After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.

Latest Reviews

My Penguin Friend

Alien: Romulus

Weekly reviews straight to your inbox.

Don’t be afraid of the horror-movie cliches in ‘Fear’

Joseph sikora from ‘power’ stars in a wonderfully nasty film that revels in its lack of originality..

Joseph Sikora and Annie Ilonzeh play a couple who invite friends to a secluded lodge in “Fear.”

Hidden Empire Film Group

At the outset of director/co-writer Deon Taylor’s wonderfully nasty, appropriately grisly and self-aware psychological horror tale “Fear,” we see a video clip of Chicago’s Rick Kogan playing a TV book show host named Rick Kogan, interviewing an author named Rom Jennings, played by Chicago’s own Joseph Sikora (Tommy Egan from “Power”). When Kogan asks Rom about his next book, Rom responds, “I can’t really tell you too much about it, but what I can say is it does squarely focus on the mythos and mythology surrounding fear and the concept of fear.”

A short while later, Rom and his closest circle of friends have gathered at the obligatory Spooky Old Inn Nestled Deep in the Mountains, and they sit around the campfire, sharing their most personal fears in order to let go of those fears. “Fear will not rule us here, not tonight,” says one member of the group, after which we hear the litany of fears, from being unable to catch a breath to getting trapped in a confined space to drowning to the sight of blood — and you gotta love a horror movie that basically tells you from the get-go how most of these characters might meet their ultimate demise.

There’s nothing subtle or deeply original about “Fear,” though it does feature some impressive albeit low-budget special effects, first-rate production design and strong performances from the cast; it knows we’ve seen a dozen other movies about a group of friends who meet up in the country for what they hope will be an idyllic weekend, only to see things quickly go from mildly disturbing to truly weird to deeply concerning to horrifying bloody.

There’s an almost comfort-viewing level to our familiarity with the story, and we appreciate that Taylor leans into the material and embraces the horror-movie clichés.

Sikora’s Rom has arranged so that he and his longtime girlfriend Bianca (Annie Ilonzeh, “Chicago Fire”) will be joined by their best friends as the only guests for the weekend at the historic Strawberry Lodge in the mountains of Northern California, ostensibly to celebrate Bianca’s birthday — but Rom has a couple of ulterior motives. For one, he plans to finally propose to Bianca. Second and more problematic, Rom is aware of the long history of mysterious and perhaps even supernatural occurrences at the Strawberry Lodge — and what better place to do some deep-dive research for his new book on fear?

After being welcomed by the creepy Mrs. Weinrich (Michelle McCormick), who says it’s a tradition to take a photo of each new group of guests and post it on the wall (“That way, you never leave”), one guest mumbles, “I feel like we’re in ‘Get Out’ right now,” and spoiler alert, let’s just say he should have listened to his instincts.

Soon after Mrs. Weinrich speeds off, the horror movie tropes kick in, from disturbing paintings on the wall to haunting music suddenly playing on an old Victrola to doors slamming to the guests experiencing horrifying nightmares that might not be nightmares. Making matters worse, the group gets a report of a possible airborne virus sweeping through the land, meaning they can’t leave the inn, even though it appears one of them might be infected!

It’s the perfect storm for the group to start turning on one another, even as the supernatural elements boil and bubble to the surface, and the blood starts to spill.

Way to pick a vacation destination, Rom. What, the Overlook Hotel was booked?

Who's Involved:

Deon Taylor, Ruby Modine, Annie Ilonzeh, Joseph Sikora, T.I. Harris, King Bach, John Ferry, Terrence J

Release Date:

Friday, January 27, 2023 Limited

Plot: What's the story about?

A year into living through a worldwide pandemic, a group of friends gathered in the remote Tahoe Mountains to stay at the "Historic Strawberry Lodge".

1.86 / 5 stars ( 7 users)

Poll: Will you see Fear?

Who stars in Fear: Cast List

Joseph Sikora

The Intruder  

T.I. Harris

Monster Hunter  

Rim of the World  

Ruby Modine

Memoria, Happy Death Day  

Annie Ilonzeh

All Eyez On Me, 'Til Death Do Us Part  

Who's making Fear: Crew List

A look at the Fear behind-the-scenes crew and production team. The film's director Deon Taylor last directed The House Next Door: Meet The Blacks 2 and Fatale . The film's writer Deon Taylor last wrote The House Next Door: Meet The Blacks 2 and Traffik .

Deon Taylor

Screenwriters

Deon Taylor John Ferry

Hidden Empire Releasing

Production Companies

Watch fear trailers & videos.

Teaser Trailer

Production: what we know about fear.

• Filming took place in Kyburz, CA over the course of 17 days and was fully compliant with COVID-19 protocols and guidelines (11/25/2021).

Filming Timeline

• 2021 - November : The film was set to Completed  status.

Fear Release Date: When was the film released?

Fear was a Limited release in 2023 on Friday, January 27, 2023 . There were 22 other movies released on the same date, including Condor's Nest , You People and Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist . As a Limited release, Fear will only be shown in select movie theaters across major markets. Please check Fandango and Atom Tickets to see if the film is playing in your area.

Q&A Asked about Fear

Seen the movie? Rate It!

Also known as

• Don't Fear

Advertisement

Follow the Updates

• Wed., Nov. 23, 2022
• added a poster to the photo gallery
• added a running time of 85 minutes
• set the MPAA rating to R for bloody violence and language
• changed the US film release date from August 26, 2022 to January 27, 2023
• set film release to Limited
• added Teaser Trailer to movie trailers & videos
• changed the US film release date from March 11, 2022 to August 26, 2022
• changed the US film release date from February, 2022 to March 11, 2022

Looking for more information on Fear?

Across the web.

• Get Tickets + Showtimes
• Get Digital Copy
• Buy on Amazon
• More Info on IMDb

Get the latest on upcoming movies before everyone else!

Common Sense Media

Movie & TV reviews for parents

• For Parents
• For Educators
• Our Work and Impact

Or browse by category:

• Movie Reviews
• Best Movie Lists
• Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

• Best TV Lists
• Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More
• Common Sense Selections for TV
• Video Reviews of TV Shows

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

• Book Reviews
• Best Book Lists
• Common Sense Selections for Books

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

• Game Reviews
• Best Game Lists

Common Sense Selections for Games

• Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

• Podcast Reviews
• Best Podcast Lists

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

• App Reviews
• Best App Lists

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

• YouTube Channel Reviews
• YouTube Kids Channels by Topic

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids Channels for Gamers

• Preschoolers (2-4)
• Little Kids (5-7)
• Big Kids (8-9)
• Pre-Teens (10-12)
• Teens (13+)
• Screen Time
• Social Media
• Online Safety
• Identity and Community

How to Prepare Your Kids for School After a Summer of Screen Time

• Family Tech Planners
• Digital Skills
• All Articles
• Latino Culture
• Black Voices
• Asian Stories
• Native Narratives
• LGBTQ+ Pride
• Best of Diverse Representation List

Multicultural Books

YouTube Channels with Diverse Representations

Podcasts with Diverse Characters and Stories

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 1 Review
• Kids Say 0 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Bloody, cliched "cabin-in-the-woods"-style horror movie.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Fear is a cliched horror movie set during COVID about a group of friends who gather in a remote cabin, only to find themselves haunted by an evil being that's out to steal their souls. Violence is gory and intense, with deaths, stabbings, sliced neck and wrist, quite a bit of blood,…

Why Age 16+?

Deaths. In a nightmare, a person undergoes gory surgery, with blood spatters. Wo

Strong, frequent language includes uses of "f--k," "s--t," "motherf----r," "bull

Woman lies on bed in sheer negligee; her boyfriend kisses her leg and thigh, wit

Adult characters drink wine and champagne in a social setting.

Any Positive Content?

The main/central character is a White man. But of the eight key characters, six

Tries to argue that fear is "a choice" and can be controlled, although few of th

While one character's faith helps her survive, characters are generally pretty s

Violence & Scariness

Deaths. In a nightmare, a person undergoes gory surgery, with blood spatters. Woman drowned in tub. Character stabbed in shoulder, with lots of blood. Character stabbed in stomach. Person slices own wrist, with dribbling blood. Person slices own neck. Three characters force a fourth into a locked room, fighting, yelling, etc. Jump-scares. Nightmares/scary visions. Neck-snapping. Character chokes on something. Character pulls out own teeth. Woman dragged through door by unseen force. Creepy stuff. Flashes of violent imagery: hanged bodies, blood, etc. Weird black tentacles attacking characters. Bug crawling in woman's mouth. Dialogue describing violent events.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Strong, frequent language includes uses of "f--k," "s--t," "motherf----r," "bulls--t," "a--hole," "ass," "damn," "oh my God," "pissed off," "grow a pair."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Woman lies on bed in sheer negligee; her boyfriend kisses her leg and thigh, with moaning, but they're interrupted. Woman in video poses in a way that's meant to be seen as sexy. Sex-related dialogue.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Diverse Representations

The main/central character is a White man. But of the eight key characters, six are Black (three men and three women). Another woman, played by Ruby Modine, is of Puerto Rican ancestry. Characters are in a mixed-race relationship. The two final survivors are Black women. Director/co-writer Deon Taylor is Black.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Positive Messages

Tries to argue that fear is "a choice" and can be controlled, although few of the characters seem to be able to do this. Faith is shown as helping someone survive.

Positive Role Models

While one character's faith helps her survive, characters are generally pretty self-centered and quick to anger and judge one another.

Parents need to know that Fear is a cliched horror movie set during COVID about a group of friends who gather in a remote cabin, only to find themselves haunted by an evil being that's out to steal their souls. Violence is gory and intense, with deaths, stabbings, sliced neck and wrist, quite a bit of blood, a a drowning, fighting, nightmares, creepy imagery, jump-scares, and more. Frequent language includes "f--k," "s--t," "motherf----r," etc. A woman wears a sheer negligee, and a man kisses her leg and thigh while she moans (they're interrupted). A woman is said to be pregnant, and there's brief sex-related dialogue. Adult characters drink wine and champagne in social situations. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

• Parents say (1)

Based on 1 parent review

Plays on Fear and lies. Not recommended for kids!

What's the story.

In FEAR, best-selling writer Rom ( Joseph Sikora ) invites his girlfriend, Bianca ( Annie Ilonzeh ), to a weekend getaway at a remote lodge in hopes of proposing to her. He's also invited their best friends, Russ ( Terrence Jenkins ), Kim (Tyler Abron), Meg ( Jessica Allain ), Benny ( Andrew Bachelor ), Serena ( Ruby Modine ), and Lou ( Tip "T.I." Harris ), as well as Rom's agent, Mike ( Iddo Goldberg ), to help celebrate. Over a campfire, they all reveal their deepest fears, and then they open a bottle of complimentary wine. Not long after, some of the friends start seeing things. Worse, the news reports a deadly airborne virus, and Lou, who's begun coughing, seems to be getting sicker. Then, Rom finds clues in the basement that suggest the true nature of the lodge. He and his friends must master their fears if they want to escape.

Is It Any Good?

Despite a diverse cast and a nifty location, this soggy, inert horror movie unfolds with a most unimaginative collection of worn-out genre staples, starting with its bland title. Fear begins with its hero failing at his marriage proposal, despite the fact that he's a best-selling author with movie superhero-like looks, and the unusual-yet-invincible-sounding name of "Rom." From there, the friends somehow decide to tell each other their deepest fears, a checklist that will of course come into play later in the movie. When it does, it's with flashing lights, rumbling noises, jump-scares, spooky mirrors, twitchy video, CG tentacles, distorted old songs, clunky exposition, and just about anything else lifted from any number of other horror movies. (One character mutters, "I feel like we're in Get Out ." If only.) Characters blunder around the lodge with no sense of time; while the action cuts away to certain characters, it takes others an absurdly long time to get from one room to another. This lack of rhythm makes it feel like Fear takes forever to get started, and when it finally does, during the final third, you may find yourself eager for it to end.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Fear 's violence . How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?

Is the movie scary? What's the appeal of horror movies ? Why do people sometimes like to be scared?

How does the movie depict the COVID-19 pandemic? Is it interesting to see it in movies, or would you rather not think about it? Why?

Did the movie inspire you to think of what your own deepest fear might be? How might you approach that fear should it arise?

Did you notice positive diverse representations in the movie? Why is that important?

Movie Details

• In theaters : January 27, 2023
• On DVD or streaming : April 25, 2023
• Cast : Joseph Sikora , Annie Ilonzeh , Tip T.I. Harris
• Director : Deon Taylor
• Inclusion Information : Black directors, Female actors, Black actors, Multiracial actors, Black writers
• Studio : Hidden Empire Releasing
• Genre : Horror
• Topics : Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
• Run time : 98 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : bloody violence and language
• Last updated : June 2, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

What to watch next.

The Dark and the Wicked

The Night House

The Cabin in the Woods

Scary movies for kids, best horror movies, related topics.

• Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

• What's the Tomatometer®?
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening this week
• Top box office
• Coming soon to theaters
• Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

• Fandango at Home
• Prime Video
• Most Popular Streaming Movies
• Certified Fresh Movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• 81% Alien: Romulus Link to Alien: Romulus
• 88% Between the Temples Link to Between the Temples
• 100% Daughters Link to Daughters

New TV Tonight

• 93% Chimp Crazy: Season 1
• 100% Pachinko: Season 2
• -- That '90s Show: Season 3
• -- OceanXplorers: Season 1
• -- Classified: Season 1
• -- Reasonable Doubt: Season 2
• -- The Anonymous: Season 1
• -- Face to Face With Scott Peterson: Season 1
• -- Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War: Season 1

Most Popular TV on RT

• 92% Bad Monkey: Season 1
• 96% Industry: Season 3
• 54% The Umbrella Academy: Season 4
• 86% Average Joe: Season 1
• 77% Lady in the Lake: Season 1
• 82% A Good Girl's Guide to Murder: Season 1
• 100% Supacell: Season 1
• 78% Star Wars: The Acolyte: Season 1
• 100% Women in Blue: Season 1
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV
• TV & Streaming News

Certified fresh pick

• 92% Bad Monkey: Season 1 Link to Bad Monkey: Season 1
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

30 Most Popular Movies Right Now: What to Watch In Theaters and Streaming

25 Most Popular TV Shows Right Now: What to Watch on Streaming

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Awards Tour

Renewed and Cancelled TV Shows 2024

Edgar Wright Surprises Shaun of the Dead Superfans

• Trending on RT
• Re-Release Calendar
• Popular TV Shows
• Renewed and Cancelled TV
• Best New Horror Movies

Cast & Crew

Letterboxd — Your life in film

Forgotten username or password ?

• Start a new list…
• Add all films to a list…
• Add all films to watchlist

Add to your films…

Press Tab to complete, Enter to create

A moderator has locked this field.

Add to lists

Where to watch

Directed by Deon Taylor

Your mind is the trap.

An author's celebration with friends at a woodland cabin takes a terrifying turn when an airborne virus emerges at the same time supernatural forces target the group.

Joseph Sikora Andrew Bachelor Annie Ilonzeh Ruby Modine Iddo Goldberg Terrence J Jessica Allain T.I. Tyler Abron Mezi Atwood Bayardo De Murguia Mario Fernandez Whylip Lee Chanel Gaines Michelle McCormick

Director Director

Deon Taylor

Producers Producers

Roxanne Avent Omar Joseph Heather Kritzer Deon Taylor Karicean Karen Dick Shandra Dixon Damien Douglas Mike Manning

Writers Writers

Deon Taylor John Ferry

Editors Editors

Martin Bernfeld Peck Prior

Cinematography Cinematography

Christopher Duskin

Executive Producers Exec. Producers

Terrence J Hernany Perla Cliff Reid Aaron Russell Milan Taylor

Production Design Production Design

Dara Waxman

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Alexandra Hiebert

Composer Composer

Geoff Zanelli

Sound Sound

Cathryn Wang

Hidden Empire Film Group

Alternative Titles

واهمه, Fear - Your mind is the trap, Medo, ترس, 无需害怕, 雪山驚魂, Miedo, Strach, בקתת הפחד, Korku, Belső rettegés, เรื่องเล่า...คืนหลอน, Baimė

Drama Horror

Horror, the undead and monster classics Terrifying, haunted, and supernatural horror Twisted dark psychological thriller Gothic and eerie haunting horror Creepy, chilling, and terrifying horror Gory, gruesome, and slasher horror Show All…

Releases by Date

27 jan 2023, 11 apr 2023, 26 feb 2024, releases by country.

• Theatrical 18
• Theatrical R

98 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by NicoPico ★

Well that wasn’t very nice to put in theaters

Review by Marcel’s Movies 📼 ½ 2

Nothing to fear but watching Fear itself.

Review by Oney M. ½ 7

How did this turd make it to theatres?  How?  It was straight-up serving Tubi original.  The entire production team really thought they were doing something unique and cool.  They should actually be embarrassed.

A complete disaster congested with an incoherent plot, horrendous acting, character-less characters, extended stretches of nothingness, a supernatural angle they don’t embrace, and some weird messaging on “don’t fear the Covid pandemic” or some crap.

The only positive note I have is: I enjoyed the exterior shots of the California Sierras.   Everything else?  Huge ouch.  1/10.

Review by yehu ★★

A youth pastor wrote this movie.

Review by Michael ★

This is an AI generated anti-Covid republican propaganda piece disguised as a horror movie with a DaBaby song over the end credits I can’t even make this up oh my god

Review by Acoucalancha ★ 10

My worst fear is having to rewatch this shit movie.

Mediocre scares, countless horror tropes, pointless story, it takes forever before we get a kill (and they're lame), the characters are so dumb, laughable third act... and it's a Covid movie. Not enough fear related stuff and too much Covid paranoia. The acting was ok in the first two acts and the set was fine (that's all I could think of for the positives). Shoutout to the intro showing the title twice.

Review by Nick ½ 7

Ok, so I don’t think this film is as “anti-vax” as some reviews claim. I’m basing this off of  this review  from one of the writers. It looks like they wrote this way back when the pandemic started and I think that explains why everything in the film seems like it was set right at the beginning of the pandemic. This is before we had a vaccine. I think this was a more benign “trust in God and we’ll get through this pandemic” message that was released wayyyy too late.

That aside, this is the worst film I’ve ever seen in a theater. I was pretty excited for a January horror film when I saw the trailer and the trailer itself was…

Review by lakeaddison ½ 1

Did I just accidentally watch an anti vax movie?!?!

Review by MarMar ½ 3

Fear: Hey can I copy your homework?

It Chapter 2: Sure of course, just change it up a bit and fuck up way worse than I did so it isn't noticeable.

Review by dave. ★

oii💕 era pra assistir? gente que filme terrível péssimo mal feito misericórdia

Review by Joel Hilke ★ 9

Here it is! Found it. The classic terrible January horror movie, cleverly moved to the end of the month so as to lull us into a false sense of security. But, no... rounding the corner comes Mediocre Movie: The Movie. Just a generic "you've seen this one before" pile of pointless unscary scares.

So a group of friends gather to celebrate a birthday and to quarantine at a lodge in the mountains. But soon the lodge is preying on their individual fears, manifesting those fears as vaguely defined nonsense.

We've seen this "it knows what scares you" gimmick before in too many other movies. Why are we doing it again and pretending it's original? Is it just that they had…

Review by olivia 🏳️‍⚧️ 🍉 ½ 2

I genuinely cannot think of any horror movie this bad. No ironic enjoyment, no good scares or deep messages and metaphors, it doesn't even lean into the horror side enough for any level of entertainment. It's such a poor, lifeless flick I can't say you should watch for any reason whatsoever

Similar Films

Select your preferred backdrop

Select your preferred poster, upgrade to remove ads.

Letterboxd is an independent service created by a small team, and we rely mostly on the support of our members to maintain our site and apps. Please consider upgrading to a Pro account —for less than a couple bucks a month, you’ll get cool additional features like all-time and annual stats pages ( example ), the ability to select (and filter by) your favorite streaming services, and no ads!

Get the Reddit app

R/HORROR, known as Dreadit by our subscribers is the premier horror entertainment community on Reddit. For more than a decade /R/HORROR has been reddit.com's gateway to all things Horror: from movies & TV, to books & games.

Official Dreadit Discussion: "Fear" [SPOILERS]

A year into living through a worldwide pandemic, a group of friends gather in the remote Tahoe Mountains, to stay at the "Historic Strawberry Lodge". What was supposed to be a much needed getaway and celebratory weekend, quickly turns into a waking nightmare. As the truth about the historic lodge slowly unravels in front of them, this group of friends will be pushed to the brink of survival.

Deon Taylor

Roxanne Avent

T.I. as Lou

King Bach as Benny

Joseph Sikora as Rom

Annie Ilonzeh as Bianca

Ruby Modine as Serena

Terrence Jenkins as Russ

By continuing, you agree to our User Agreement and acknowledge that you understand the Privacy Policy .

Enter the 6-digit code from your authenticator app

You’ve set up two-factor authentication for this account.

Enter a 6-digit backup code

Create your username and password.

Reddit is anonymous, so your username is what you’ll go by here. Choose wisely—because once you get a name, you can’t change it.

Reset your password

Enter your email address or username and we’ll send you a link to reset your password

Check your inbox

An email with a link to reset your password was sent to the email address associated with your account

Choose a Reddit account to continue

This Horror Movie With 100% on Rotten Tomatoes Is an Unflinching Psychological Terror

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

The Big Picture

• Stress fractures relationships and minds in Ghosts of the Void , a slow-burn horror that delves into the darker side of the American Dream.
• Michael Reagan and Tedra Millan deliver haunting performances, portraying anxiety and stress masterfully in the psychological thriller.
• Director Jason Miller expertly subverts genre expectations, creating an unflinchingly haunting atmosphere in this overlooked horror.

Much of the appeal of a home invasion horror flick is the scorching terror wreaked upon the home's residents, as the intruders don't only invade their homes, but also their minds. Alongside this abysmal fear are the relationships that either crack or strengthen under the pressure, delivering us either terrifyingly heartfelt moments or just plain drama. Boasting a coveted 100% Rotten Tomatoes score , Ghosts of the Void is still an overlooked addition to the home invasion genre that also explores the fragility of the human mind and human relationships . Except here, the protagonists don't live in a home and the invaders are less tangible than we initially believe. The premise itself is relatively straightforward, as director Jason Miller pushes us into the throes of cheap genre thrills and nail-biting tension. But it is enriched by a tight thematic exploration, as the film investigates how stress, relationships and the illusory American Dream interweave with each other, ultimately creating an unflinchingly haunting atmosphere that leaves us vulnerable to the finale.

Ghosts of the Void (2023)

In this psychological horror series, a newly homeless couple, Jen and Tyler, spend a night in their car, facing exhaustion, a crumbling marriage, and masked strangers. The show delves into themes of mental health and societal anxieties, emphasizing the terror of their deteriorating circumstances and the looming external threats.

'Ghosts of the Void' Subverts the Home Invasion Genre

Ghosts of the Void opens up with Tyler ( Michael Reagan ) and Jen ( Tedra Millan ) being evicted from their home and searching for a place to park their lived-in car for the night. The couple comes off as supportive and endearing, as they both empathize with each other and quickly snip arguments borne out of hunger at the bud. Despite the desolate circumstances, it is quite a cozy set up as we bask in the couple's love , which is enhanced when the film's timeline is split between the present and the past. The scenes in the past are filmed with more warm hues, a stark contrast to the present chilly night. But, of course, this is a home invasion thriller and the comfort cannot last forever.

Miller covers all the genre thrills that create the taut and riveting tension expected of a home invasion horror flick . The couple's night starts going awry, as a mysterious clamp is attached to their car tire and a drone hovers around them in an antagonizing way. While Jen wants to call the police straight away, Tyler reminds her that they are parked illegally, and figures it was just a bunch of teenagers playing pranks. But like every home invasion, these "bumps in the night" gradually twist into something more sinister – strangers in blood-curdling masks . We are met with familiar nauseating sequences that compound the already churning moment, from attacking with makeshift weapons to stumbling blindly in the woods. One of the more memorable scenes involves the couple locked in the car with blankets covering the windows, and the camera positioned in the car right beside them, making for a dizzying and claustrophobic shot.

This Paranoid Psychological Horror Weaves a Claustrophobic Web of Conspiracy and Fear

William Friedkin blurs the line between reality and delusion in this horror thriller.

As Ghosts of the Void goes through the motions of a home invasion thriller , its vibrant and provoking commentary on stress and how it can fracture the self and relationships is littered throughout . So even as the film borders on cliché, it is given a fresh and refined feel, as it deliberately keeps the couple's reactions in vignette focus. This moves expertly into the jaw-dropping revelation in the finale, which completes the film’s confronting and twisted portrayal of stress and anxiety. Miller masterfully adheres to and subverts our expectations of the genre, giving life to its commentary on a subject that may be over-saturated in horror, but is mesmerizing in Ghosts of the Void .

Michael Reagan and Tedra Millan Portray Stress Masterfully in 'Ghosts in the Void'

Anxiety is explored in two distinct ways in Ghosts in the Void , as Tyler and Jen cannot be more different in the way they tackle the situation at hand. The flashbacks are also strategically placed to unveil various aspects of each character's personality, slowly creating a holistic representation of them by the end. Tyler is revealed to be a struggling writer. After reaching the peak of his writing career at university, he was never able to write anything of the same caliber again (or he just believed that), which often led him to nurse a bruised ego and a flask. He flails under the immense pressure he puts upon himself, encapsulated sordidly in Reagan's performance during a self-destructive flashback where Tyler drunkenly lies in bed and languidly announces he deleted the book he had spent months working on. We see hints of him over-compensating for his dismal self-esteem in the stressful present timeline, as he rebukes Jen's logical solutions and belligerently attempts to resolve everything himself.

Meanwhile, Jen is an aspiring photographer whose anxiety is driven by external circumstances, unlike Tyler, who is influenced by his internal environment. Trying to support her creative husband, Jen takes on the financial and emotional burdens of the relationship, as she struggles to discern ways to repay debts and mitigate Tyler's outbursts. Millan masters the unsettling combination of exhausted slumped shoulder and weary eyes, with a more alert and rigid stance that embodies the complexity of Jen's emotions. While Tyler's anxiety manifests in self-destructive behavior and alcoholism, Jen's appears as exhaustion, insomnia and panic attacks . This is hauntingly depicted in a disorienting panic attack scene, scored with a resounding and rich heartbeat, and topped off with Jen systematically grounding herself in a daze . The stark performances each give a harrowing gravitas to the film, but it is particularly damning when their representations of stress collide.

'Ghosts of the Void' Delivers Slow-Burn Horror That Increases Anxiety

In terms of horror, Ghosts of the Void is definitely slow-burn, steadily building up the terror at a pitiless and deliberate pace. But each dread-laden beat of the film still captivates us, as the horror may be slow to unfold to truly insane heights, but the exploration into the cracks in the couple's relationship is rapid and heartless. The way they resolved arguments in the beginning of the film seemed fairly healthy, albeit slightly passive-aggressive. Tension lurked beneath their comfort with each other, but it was easy to attribute this to their impoverished circumstances. However, the reality of their relationship is quickly unearthed, as Tyler often withdraws into his self-destruction spiral in the past timeline, leaving a harried Jen to pick up the shards in the aftermath of a paroxysm , hastily trying to restore the appearance of a relationship between her family and herself.

The film dissects the relationship, leaving its flaws wide open for us to study and seeing how stress corrupted each aspect of their lives. Jen clings onto what their relationship was like at university, hoping that a breakthrough in Tyler's writing career will restore their lives. Meanwhile, Tyler leans on Jen to manage his emotional well-being – both co-dependently putting pressure on each other and themselves. It’s almost as if the way they individually handle stress isn’t compatible, heightened in the present timeline where this incompatibility turns deadly . The revelation in the finale also becomes mind-numbing as we wonder how such a tiny mishap managed to set off a series of devastating events, simply because stress was injected into the situation and organically compounded on itself. Ghosts of the Void becomes a dramatized version of how anxiety can lace its tendrils into a relationship and one's psyche, fracturing it until it becomes a ghostly remnant of what it was before.

Stress Is Linked to the American Dream in 'Ghosts of the Void'

“The reason they call it the American Dream is because you have to be asleep to believe it.” The film opens up with this quote that dismantles the idea of the American Dream , expressly linking it to its investigation of mental health. With two aspiring creatives that try everything to stay afloat but end up succumbing to the darker side of the American Nightmare, it is fairly clear where the concept comes into play. However, the film's closing credits delivers a far more chilling and numbing consequence of the dream. Once the events of the stomach-curdling night come to a close, we are met with a brightly lit day when a stranger comes across the morbid scene. After investigating, the car is towed away and the debris is cleared, and the camera lazily pans to a picturesque golf course where a bunch of wealthy men are happily swinging away. As such, Jen and Tyler become insignificant ghosts in the void of the American Dream, as their struggles and the ruthless ordeal of the night are simply blemishes the dream is content to remain ignorant of. By both indulging and subverting the home invasion genre, Ghosts of the Void depicts the merciless reality of the American Dream and its brutal consequences on a person’s mental health and relationships.

Ghosts of the Void is currently available to stream on Tubi in the U.S.

WATCH ON TUBI

• Movie Features

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Alien: Romulus

While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonists come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe. While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonists come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe. While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonists come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.

• Fede Alvarez
• Rodo Sayagues
• Dan O'Bannon
• Cailee Spaeny
• David Jonsson
• Archie Renaux
• 750 User reviews
• 201 Critic reviews
• 64 Metascore
• 1 nomination

Top cast 15

• 10-Year Old Punk #1
• 10-Year Old Punk #2
• 10-Year Old Punk #3

• Voice of MU

• Rook (facial and vocal reference)

• Rook (facial and vocal performance)
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

All 'Alien' Movies Ranked by IMDb Rating

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia Director Fede Alvarez sought out the special effects crew from Aliens (1986) to work on the creatures. Physical sets, practical creatures, and miniatures were used wherever possible to help ground later VFX work.
• Goofs When the characters first enter the space station, the artificial gravity briefly turns on and then off again. Shortly thereafter, they enter a room where several objects are hovering in mid-air. If the objects had momentum immediately after the gravity switched off they should be moving on a trajectory, and if not they should still be against the floor. Either way, they should not be unmoving several feet off the floor.

Andy : The solution for a claustrophobic astronaut is to give him more space.

• Crazy credits The 20th Century Studios fanfare freezes and turns ominous, as in Alien³ (1992) , leading into the film's opening scene. The logo itself suffers a burst of static and turns green.
• Connections Featured in Nerdrotic: The Acolyte: Force is Female CONFIRMED? The Death of Theaters - The Real BBC @MauLer @HeelvsBabyface (2024)
• Soundtracks Theme from Alien Written by Jerry Goldsmith

User reviews 750

• Aug 13, 2024

Women in Science Fiction

• When was Alien: Romulus released? Powered by Alexa
• When does this film take place in the Alien timeline?
• August 16, 2024 (United States)
• United States
• United Kingdom
• New Zealand
• Official Website
• Quái Vật Không Gian: Romulus
• Origo Studios, Budapest, Hungary
• 20th Century Studios
• Scott Free Productions
• Brandywine Productions
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $80,000,000 (estimated)
• $42,003,361
• Aug 18, 2024
• $110,090,972

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 59 minutes
• Dolby Atmos
• IMAX 6-Track

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• See more gaps
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed.

Ukraine war latest: Huge blaze after fuel depot strike; civilians flee key city as Russian troops close in

Civilians are fleeing a city in the Donetsk region as Russian forces intensify attacks on embattled Ukrainian troops. Meanwhile, Belarus says it has sent more soldiers, aircraft and military equipment to the Ukrainian border after Kyiv dismissed similar threats as "rhetoric".

Tuesday 20 August 2024 12:53, UK

• Civilians flee Ukrainian city as Russian attacks intensify
• Firefighters in Ternopil grapple with blaze after strike
• Third bridge 'attacked' in Russian region of Kursk
• Big picture : What you need to know as war enters new week
• Michael Clarke : Battle of bridges is about to begin
• Putin 'in a position he never dreamt of in his worst nightmares'  
• Your questions answered: What is Ukraine hoping to achieve with invasion of Russia?
• Live reporting by Kieren Williams 

Ask a question or make a comment

Later this week military analysts Sean Bell and Michael Clarke will answer your questions on Ukraine's invasion of the Russian region of Kursk - and the wider war.

What does the incursion mean for the conflict and, on the opposite side, how quickly is Russia advancing inside Ukraine?

Submit your question in the box at the top of this page.

Over 122,000 Russians have fled the border regions amid Ukraine's Kursk invasion, according to Russian media.

Residents have left their homes in huge numbers following Kyiv's surprise counter-punch, TASS said, citing the Russian Emergencies Ministry.

Mr Zelenskyy has previously said that his forces have captured 1,250sq/km (480 square miles) and 92 settlements in Kursk so far.

Ukraine has a "wide-open" opportunity to seize more Russian territory in their Kursk invasion, but risks Moscow making more gains inside Ukraine, says military analyst Professor Michael Clarke .

After a "fairly static" period, Prof Clarke said the war in Ukraine had entered a new stage of "dynamism" on the back of the Kursk invasion.

"I think this Kursk [attack] might get quite big, quite quickly, because the area to the west is almost wide-open to the Ukrainians now they've taken down the bridges off the Seim River.

"I wouldn't be at all surprised if they [Ukraine] go westwards."

But he warned any move of the Ukrainian counterpunch west would require a larger commitment of troops and resources.

With this, they "take a bigger risk", Prof Clarke said, as Moscow continues to make gains in eastern Ukraine.

Most recently, Russia took the Niu-York settlement.

Prof Clarke warned the likes of Toretsk was in "grave danger" and could fall within a matter of hours as well.

Satellite images appear to show pontoons being used to replace destroyed bridges in the Kursk region.

Amid Ukraine's unexpected lightning incursion into Russia, launched on 6 August, Kyiv has struck three bridges in the now contested region since Friday.

Satellite images by Planet Labs, analysed by The Associated Press, show what appear to be pontoon bridges in two different positions along the Seim River.

The first bridge appeared between the town of Glushkovo and Zvannoe on Saturday, only to be gone in images taken yesterday.

On Monday, smoke could be seen rising along the banks of the river nearby - often a sign of a strike.

Another pontoon bridge was visible around 1.1 miles (1.8km) east of one of the bridges destroyed on the Seim, in other images taken since Friday.

The pontoons were likely built by Russian troops trying to supply forces battling against the Ukrainian advance south of the river.

Sky News has not independently verified the images.

A fire continues to rage at a Russian oil depot for the third consecutive day, after it was hit by Ukrainian drones.

Russian authorities continue to battle the massive fire in the southern Rostov region.

The fire has burned across an area of 10,000 sq/m (107,639 sq/ft) in the town of Proletarsk, according to Russian state news agencies.

Of the 500 hundred firefighters involved in the operation, 41 have been injured and taken to hospital, TASS said, citing local officials.

Five of the firefighters were placed in emergency care, Governor Vasily Golubev said on the Telegram messaging app.

Around 20 of the 74 storage tanks at the huge diesel depot are on fire, the RIA news agency said, citing local administration boss Valery Gornich.

Ukraine often says it is retaliating against Russia's attacks on its own energy infrastructure, while Moscow brands such drone attacks on its oil infrastructure as acts of terrorism.

Baza, a Telegram channel close to Russian law enforcement, also said that the fire is likely to continue for several days.

 The White House says its policy on Ukraine using its weapons to strike deeper into Russia has not changed.

The policy has become a point of contention between Ukraine and its allies in light of Kyiv's lightning incursion into Kursk.

Ukraine has publicly called for broader permission to use weapons in proactively attacking Russia, but some Western nations supplying them remain reluctant.

"What I will say is that our policy has not changed. I just don't have anything else to add to that," press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, when asked if the administration had given the issue any more thought.

US policy allows Ukrainian strikes into Russia where attacks are emanating from - a looser position than originally taken.

But the Biden administration still limits the use of its weapons for long-range attacks into Russia. It has not publicly defined "long-range".

But the Times reported the US was blocking a British request to back the use of British Storm Shadow missiles in Russia.

A US official, speaking to Reuters, admitted that Ukraine's Kursk incursion "complicates the policy the more they progress into Russia".

If Ukraine starts taking villages and other non-military targets using US weapons and vehicles, that could raise questions about whether it's within the limitations Washington has imposed, the official was quoted as adding.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously said the Ukrainian offensive in Kursk was a result of allies taking this position for fear of crossing Vladimir Putin's "red lines".

At a gathering of Ukrainian diplomats, the Ukrainian president said: "If our partners lifted current restrictions on the use of weapons on Russian territory, we wouldn't need to physically enter the Kursk region to protect our border communities and eliminate Russia's potential for aggression.

"But for now, we cannot use all the weapons at our disposal and eliminate Russian terrorists where they are."

Czech Republic has said it will use some of the interest from seized Russian assets in the EU to pay for ammunition for Ukraine. 

The country's defence minister Jana Cernochova said the move will let them buy "hundreds of thousands of much-needed large-calibre ammunition". 

The Kremlin called the plan "theft" and said it would take legal action against anyone involved in the decision.

EU governments agreed in June to use €1.4bn (£1.2bn) in profits generated from Russian assets to buy arms and support for Ukraine.

The Czech Republic-led scheme will use some of this money.

Ms Cernochova said: "The European Union decided on it. We can thus buy hundreds of thousands of much-needed large-calibre ammunition for Ukraine. 

"It is another proof of the allies' trust in the Czech Republic and in our ammunition initiative. 

"This is a unique opportunity to support Ukraine, to use resources originally belonging to Russia and to save the public finances of European countries."

Almost 20,000 people have suffered blackouts after a Russian strike on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

The overnight attack on the northeastern Sumy region left 18,500 people across 72 towns and villages without power, regional officials said.

The regions sits on the Russian border neighbouring the Kursk region.

For context: Bombing attacks on Sumy have increased since Ukraine's incursion.

Ukrainian energy facilities have also been a near daily target of Russian attacks over the past six months.

Power cuts are regularly announced during peak evening consumption hours.

Russia launched its fifth missile attack on Kyiv this month overnight, Ukraine's military has said.

Air defence systems successfully repelled the strike, it added.

While the full scope of the attack on Kyiv remains unknown, Ukraine said that the attack likely involved cruise missiles.

Witnesses heard blasts early this morning in what sounded like air defence systems in operation, on the outskirts of the city.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, air defence systems shot down three missiles and 25 drones.

The strikes targeted nine regions in the centre, north and south of the country, Ukraine's air force said.

Kyiv has been under air raid alerts 41 times this month.

Residents in the Ukrainian city of Ternopil have been urged to stay inside after a large fire broke out overnight.

An industrial facility was attacked and a fuel reservoir was hit, officials said.

Around 90 firefighters were deployed to battle the blaze, said Viktor Ustenko, a deputy head of the Ternopil regional administration.

"Do not leave your home unnecessarily, limit children's time outdoors as much as possible, close windows indoors," the military administration of the western Ukrainian region said.

Local health officials said there were concerns that the burning of harmful substances could prove dangerous to locals.

The fire was brought under control this morning, said Mr Ustenko said.

Dramatic pictures show firefighters dousing flames.

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free