PHOBIAS

Directed by Robert J. Massetti

"The Phobia Tapes"

Produced by Robert J. Massetti and Jon Fish
Written, Edited, and Photographed by Robert J. Massetti

Frank - Jon Fish
Dean - Nick Colameo
Trent - Geoff Maynard

"Blackout"

Produced by Robert J. Massetti, Jon Fish, and Rick Michaels
Written and Edited by Robert J. Massetti and Jon Fish
Director of Photography - Robert J. Massetti

Sarah - Katharine Leis
Derrick - Jon Fish
Jeff - Nick Colameo

Tim Ritter is man whose opinion I have come to value and trust in the few years that I've known him. When he sent me a copy of Robert J. Massetti's PHOBIAS for review, he prefaced it by saying it was easily one of the best micro-budget efforts he had ever seen. That's saying a lot, especially coming from a man who has made himself a benchmark in underground cinema with a career that recently entered its third decade.

It's easy to see what Tim saw. PHOBIAS is a prime example of slick, well-made horror entertainment sporting oodles of talent from everyone involved. There's barely an edit or a line of dialogue that isn't thought out through and through. The acting is professional. The camera work effective. The sound design and editing are textbook examples of creative storytelling.

Maybe all that's why I was a little put off by PHOBIAS. Over the years I've grown accustomed to shot on video productions that are raw and rough around the edges. Movies that aren't afraid to show their limitations and plunge head-first to tell whatever story the filmmaker needed to tell.

PHOBIAS proves there are no limitations, let alone excuses to hide behind.

Hell, maybe I'm just jealous.

Quality should always be a filmmaker's number one priority. That doesn't mean just quality of story, or quality of storytelling, but the entire package as a whole. A movie is a single entity where any sacrifice in overall quality shortchanges your audience, and PHOBIAS is an illustration of how to get things right.

What really gets my goat is that this is a movie that should have had so many things wrong with it right off the bat. One, it's a first film by a novice filmmaker. Two, it's an anthology. I could drag the list on, but you should get the idea from those two alone. Freshman efforts can be tricky, most first-time filmmakers haven't found their voice yet. An anthology from a first-time filmmaker is generally just an excuse to offset some lesser short subjects with some better ones while they try to find that missing voice.

As an anthology, PHOBIAS is no different from any other. Massetti shows no real distinct style or voice, but he's assured and confident enough that he can give each short its own particular flair.

The first short is titled "The Phobia Tapes", and deals with a man haunted by the thought of his wife's infidelity. A character study in dementia, "The Phobia Tapes" uses visuals and sound to play with time and events in such a way as to blur reality, but does so with such a clean cut approach that even the most intellectually challenged can put the pieces together...eventually.

"The Phobia Tapes" is more concerned with atmosphere, and capturing a state of mind, rather then telling a precise, linear story. What viewers are given are ambiguous events where the exact story and chronology is left to interpretation.

"Blackout" details the days following an abused woman's vengeful murder of her husband. Seeking comfort in the arms of a stranger, the woman wants to lay low and figure out the first steps in the rest of her life. It soon becomes apparent that some supernatural force wants to keep the two from finding their own personal "happily ever after."

"Blackout" is much more linear in fashion, but still retains the ambiguous nature surrounding the story's events. It reminded me of John McNaughton's WILD THINGS where the final twist is in the fine details left aside. Of the two shorts, it's the most polished of the two, but the least visually interesting.

The two shorts off-set each other well, revealing the versatility of the Massetti and his ability to adapt and create a visual presentation that best suits the material at hand. That's the kind of director that works consistently in Hollywood with the big boys, and PHOBIAS is just the calling card to bring in that work.

Sub Rosa Studios
Fear Film