"Fear" fully good beginnings

Fear
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by Andrew Johnson

Fear is an impressive debut film for Andrew Johnson, showing lots of skill and lots of potential. While not completely finished, Fear is an enjoyable flick that just might make you jump.

Story
Fear is a straight-up horror film along the lines of the slasher horrors of the 90s and before. Dark, abandoned road, couple driving at night. The girl gets a phone call that sets the rest of the plot in motion. It's difficult to detail more of the plot without giving too much away because until the end, there isn't much of it. Johnson does show some impressive writing when the murderer brings up a character and situations we haven't even heard of yet. While some people may find this confusing, I found it to pull me further into the story. This story was further established at the end of the movie, but leaves off too soon to get any real establishment. While slasher flicks aren't known for their Oscar-nominated screenplays, Fear has enough of a story to keep you occupied.

Presentation
Johnson's camera is well suited for a horror film. It pans when it needs to, for the most part. Much of the dialogue in the beginning of the film takes place on a stationary set (custom-made, however).
It's not perfect. The actors tend to jump in some not-too well spliced scene cuts, and I did notice that the car's dimensions changed depending on where the camera was positioned, seeming to be a hearse in a rear-forward shot. It's not enough to get annoying, but I had to mention it.
I did like some of the more subtle effects. When the cell phone rings again, there is a concentration on where it is, which indicates it might have been thrown there at the conclusion of the last conversation. A minor point, but it was effective.

Visuals
Johnson shows a lot of promise here. Though without the benefit of tree models from v3DMM, Johnson makes use of some tried and true tree effects, making it a particularly notable first film. The car's textures are lacking on the inside, but how much are cars textured in the first place. Johnson also uses a surprise hand made character that does the trick where no other method would.
I cannot wait until he gets a hang of v3DMM and takes advantage of some of the tools and models availible for it, because he already shows a gift for custom-scenery composition.

Sound
Fear's soundtrack uses some creepy music for the opening and closing scenes. Though I can't identify its source, it suits the atmosphere of the movie well. Johnson's choice of soundtrack complimented the movie, but the rest of the action takes place in silence (soundtrack-wise, at least.)
The voices were good, for the most part. The first part had promising vocals, even if there was some mic clipping. The second part is plagued with unfinished (read: not there) vocals. While it is unfortunate that it was never exactly finished, there are text boxes to follow the rest of the story.


The Final Word
Fear is a wonderful debut film that works very well on its own merits. While the story leaves off, and the final scenes are lacking voices, the movie is a good use of time. It's a worthwhile download and a good first performance for Johnson. I look forward to Derelict, his next film.

******* (7/10) Good