Phobic

This movie was interesting with some small holes in the story. I was thoroughly jumpy after watching, the tension built up quite well. It is not the horror movie I was expecting but, none the less, it was a scary look inside the mind. The acting and script were not particularly spectacular, but they weren't so bad that it was distracting. Over all I won't be putting it on my top ten list but it wasn't a waste of time either. You'll be glad you saw it, because when one of these actors makes the 'Big Time' you'll be able to say, "hey, remember when..."! There are some particularly interesting overtones, with sweet character relationships. I didn't guess the ending right away either, which is always a good sign of a decent Thriller.

I can't believe people were actually paid for this film. I have never laughed so hard throughout a film. Billy Parrish, the guy who played Joey, where was he found? And the rest of the cast, did the director go out the day of shooting and ask random people on the street... "Hey do you want to be in a movie... no just wear what you are wearing right now that's fine... no, there's no script, just say whatever you want." Also, was the special effects guy paid? Because I'm sure you could have found someone who would have done it for free, then again, you'd have to pay me to add my name to that film. And the camera shots made me feel as if I was watching a soup opera movie. My friends and I want to make the sequel, we plan on using my hand-held camcorder (which I'm convinced the director for this movie used). So does anyone actually own the rights to this film, because I can't imagine anyone would want to.

I used to remember when b-grade movies used to have at least some redeeming quality about them, be it the effort that some actors went through to do what they must to make a buck, or even something about the story that had a certain charm. Phobic isn't one of these.

In it, Joey Walters, played by Billy Parish, (who would pass for Brandon Lee were it not for the dumb look on his face) has agoraphobia- fear of socializing and the outside. In this case, every time someone opens the door, he starts to space out and see double. Well, we see double and the camera pulling in and out and the brightness turned up too high- we have no idea what Joey sees. Perhaps it's that crazy lunatic that killed his sister that still haunts him- who calls him on the phone, and eventually enters his house, that's driving him crazy? Perhaps he has schizophrenia instead? And what is it with all these bodies showing up? At one point, we see a single little gleam of light that may not save the movie, but show us a surprise. But no. Who cares.

Bad synthesized music, sound levels that are not audible enough, cheap camera tricks that's supposed to pass off for special effects, and of course really bad acting. If you're looking for gore, you won't find any here and what's supposed to be scary isn't. If you're in the mood for a spooky man living in your house, see Hider in the House. If you want to see I'm a crazy person seeing things, see Spider or a Beautiful Mind

2 out of 10

Phobic is not a big-budget studio production, or even a mid-budget indie production. That should be apparent from the credits on the video box, although the extremely negative posts about this film seem to have missed that fact. While consumers of mainly studio fare should probably skip this title, those who take an interest in the passion-fueled world of low-budget film-making may be surprised by the story. There's smart writing, some nice character interaction, and humor as well. I will fault the distributor, though, for marketing this title as a horror film; rather, it is a psychological thriller that relies more on the slow building of suspense than on blood or gore. Its weakest point is the poor lighting, but that is more a reflection of the budget than the story itself. If you see this film, keep these points in mind and you may appreciate what the cast and crew, largely on sweat and tears, managed to accomplish.

I rented this movie because I have a friend who is agoraphobic and I was interested to see an actor portray this.It wasn't totally accurate,but I enjoyed this movie.It is low budget but I thought it was more funny than scary.I can see how some people may have found it a bit creepy,but I just found it more like a black comedy.The dialog was funny and it was well acted from unknown actors. I think the DVD should have had an alternate ending or something because it was the only part of the film I didn't like.There also should have had a feature with interviews and info on the making of this film because I wanted to learn a bit more about it and the actors of this movie.I am glad I rented this.It could have been better,but it's not the worse movie I have seen