FEAR
DOT COM ($27) is an interesting horror movie for the simple fact that
the execution is a whole lot better than the premise. The plot seems to
suffer from bipolar disorder, not knowing if it wants to be a dark
exploration of moral decay ala SE7EN, or a hip supernatural chiller
like the remake of HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL. Director William Malone,
who was responsible for the afore mentioned version of HOUSE ON HAUNTED
HILL, manages to create some striking imagery and a genuine sense of
tension during the course of FEAR DOT COM, but even he cannot
overcome the deficiencies of the film’s screenplay.
FEAR
DOT COM starts out as an investigation into a series of bizarre deaths
that appear superficially like some form of hemorrhagic virus. The
possibility of a biological contaminant brings together a NYC Police
detective (Stephen Dorff) and a Department of Health investigator
(Natascha McElhone) to trace the cause of the mysterious deaths. However,
after all biological causes are eliminated, the investigation leads to the
only commonality that all the victims shared- each of them visited the
Fear Dot Com web site forty eight hours prior to their deaths. The cast of
FEAR DOT COM also features Stephen Rea, Udo Kier, Amelia Curtis,
Nigel Terry and genre film staple Jeffrey Combs.
Warner
Home Video has made FEAR DOT COM available on DVD in a 2.35:1 wide
screen presentation that features the anamorphic enhancement for 16:9
displays. Considering how intentionally dark this movie is, Warner has
come up with an incredibly good transfer. The image is sharp and fully
detailed, even in the darkest scenes. Colors offer good saturation, even
when the cinematography gets a bit artful. Flesh tones range from wholly
natural to decidedly unnatural, depending upon the effect the photography
and makeup strives for. Still, all of the hues are rendered with complete
stability and a total lack of defects. Blacks are fairly velvety, whites
are pure and contrast ranges between smooth and harsh- depending on the
cinematic intentions of the particular moment. The cleanly authored DVD
doesn’t betray any particularly noticeable digital compression
artifacts.
FEAR
DOT COM features a fairly potent Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack
that is certain to give one’s sound system a nice little workout.
Surround junkies will find plenty of rear channel activity in the film’s
well-designed sound mix. Sound effects are convincingly deployed and can
pan very fluidly through the entire soundstage, which helps to create a
fairly immersive sonic experience. The bass channel is rock solid and adds
a great deal of weight to the film’s sound effects. Dialogue is cleanly
rendered, with a nice natural timbre. Both the film’s score and
incidental music are reproduced with a very good level of fidelity. A
French 5.1 channel soundtrack is also encoded onto the DVD, as are
English, French, and Spanish subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD’s interactive
menus. Through the menus, one has access to the standard scene selection
and set up features, as well as some supplemental features. Director
William Malone and cinematographer Christian Sebaldt are on hand for an
interesting and rather informative running audio commentary. FearDotCom:
Visions Of Fear is a rather standard four-minute featurette that
touches all of the expected bases of such a promotional program. A deleted
scene that takes place in a mushroom factory has also been included on the
DVD. While the deleted scene features incomplete special effects work,
director Malone is on hand to introduce the sequence and explain why this
particular sequence was cut. The Fear Gallery is still file
that contains conceptual artwork and storyboards. A theatrical trailer and
cast filmographies close out the supplements.
FEAR
DOT COM is a far from perfect horror outing; however, I found the film
interesting nonetheless for its tense direction, effective production
design and moody cinematography. Warner’s DVD looks and sounds great, so
anyone interested in checking out FEAR DOT COM would be wise to do
so in its ‘scope aspect ratio on disc, instead of waiting for a cropped
pay-per-view or cable presentation.
FEAR
DOT COM ($27) is an interesting horror movie for the simple fact that
the execution is a whole lot better than the premise. The plot seems to
suffer from bipolar disorder, not knowing if it wants to be a dark
exploration of moral decay ala SE7EN, or a hip supernatural chiller
like the remake of HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL. Director William Malone,
who was responsible for the afore mentioned version of HOUSE ON HAUNTED
HILL, manages to create some striking imagery and a genuine sense of
tension during the course of FEAR DOT COM, but even he cannot
overcome the deficiencies of the film’s screenplay.
FEAR
DOT COM starts out as an investigation into a series of bizarre deaths
that appear superficially like some form of hemorrhagic virus. The
possibility of a biological contaminant brings together a NYC Police
detective (Stephen Dorff) and a Department of Health investigator
(Natascha McElhone) to trace the cause of the mysterious deaths. However,
after all biological causes are eliminated, the investigation leads to the
only commonality that all the victims shared- each of them visited the
Fear Dot Com web site forty eight hours prior to their deaths. The cast of
FEAR DOT COM also features Stephen Rea, Udo Kier, Amelia Curtis,
Nigel Terry and genre film staple Jeffrey Combs.
Warner
Home Video has made FEAR DOT COM available on DVD in a 2.35:1 wide
screen presentation that features the anamorphic enhancement for 16:9
displays. Considering how intentionally dark this movie is, Warner has
come up with an incredibly good transfer. The image is sharp and fully
detailed, even in the darkest scenes. Colors offer good saturation, even
when the cinematography gets a bit artful. Flesh tones range from wholly
natural to decidedly unnatural, depending upon the effect the photography
and makeup strives for. Still, all of the hues are rendered with complete
stability and a total lack of defects. Blacks are fairly velvety, whites
are pure and contrast ranges between smooth and harsh- depending on the
cinematic intentions of the particular moment. The cleanly authored DVD
doesn’t betray any particularly noticeable digital compression
artifacts.
FEAR
DOT COM features a fairly potent Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack
that is certain to give one’s sound system a nice little workout.
Surround junkies will find plenty of rear channel activity in the film’s
well-designed sound mix. Sound effects are convincingly deployed and can
pan very fluidly through the entire soundstage, which helps to create a
fairly immersive sonic experience. The bass channel is rock solid and adds
a great deal of weight to the film’s sound effects. Dialogue is cleanly
rendered, with a nice natural timbre. Both the film’s score and
incidental music are reproduced with a very good level of fidelity. A
French 5.1 channel soundtrack is also encoded onto the DVD, as are
English, French, and Spanish subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD’s interactive
menus. Through the menus, one has access to the standard scene selection
and set up features, as well as some supplemental features. Director
William Malone and cinematographer Christian Sebaldt are on hand for an
interesting and rather informative running audio commentary. FearDotCom:
Visions Of Fear is a rather standard four-minute featurette that
touches all of the expected bases of such a promotional program. A deleted
scene that takes place in a mushroom factory has also been included on the
DVD. While the deleted scene features incomplete special effects work,
director Malone is on hand to introduce the sequence and explain why this
particular sequence was cut. The Fear Gallery is still file
that contains conceptual artwork and storyboards. A theatrical trailer and
cast filmographies close out the supplements.
FEAR
DOT COM is a far from perfect horror outing; however, I found the film
interesting nonetheless for its tense direction, effective production
design and moody cinematography. Warner’s DVD looks and sounds great, so
anyone interested in checking out FEAR DOT COM would be wise to do
so in its ‘scope aspect ratio on disc, instead of waiting for a cropped
pay-per-view or cable presentation.
