Per usual, one of our all time favorite distributors of cutting edge indie film content breaks the mold with an anxiety laden shock fest that might mentally damage its viewers. Via the direction of multitudes of indie film makers, 2018 sees something different.
Artsploitation is back with the release of the horrific anthology, A Taste of Phobia. Centered on numerous vignettes that focus on a bevy of innermost fears, this latest project serves up a tasty portion of terrifying film making that will make your skin crawl. With each piece, the producers Vestra Pictures assigned their directors different phobias to base their content on. In this new cinematic world that’s turning out these types of films on a weekly basis, A Taste Of Phobia is a low budget mixer that squeezes 14 shorts into a run time that seems just about right. Maintaining a European look and style throughout, Artsploitation once again knocks it out of the park with a release that hits on every nerve. We all have phobias and this movie picks some odd ones that make the movie uniquely interesting and completely grotesque.
Kicking right off with a hair raising bit of brutality, fans of this distributor will be reminded why they fell in love with them in the first place. For the entire movie, nothing is off limits as all the creatives behind the project push the limits of violence, gore and what could qualify as defined artistic exploitation that’s replete with skin crawling, head bashing commentary on our inner most fears. From coprophobia to angst over hair, the genre sees a vomit inducing series of stories that don’t relent. As a massive compliment, some chapters are reminiscent in tone to the original Creepshow in the way that lighting and camera styles are used. Going for nearly all practical effects, we may all be reminded why we started to love horror in the first place. This movie is not for the weak willed, whatsoever. Despite a few minor CGI bits, this looks awesome for a bare bones budget.
Although all the chapters have their own special touches and unique stories, our favorite here is Astrophobia, the fear of stars. As one of the longest parts in the movie, it has one of the best premises that could actually be extended into a full length episode of Black Mirror. As a commentary on YouTube brainwashing and those that are led astray by cult like video programming, this features the best acting and plot of A Taste of Phobia.
If you’re a fan of the V/H/S movies or the latest projects that cash in on the anthological craze, you’ll probably dig this. Some look super cheap and don’t necessarily fit with the ones that had more money to spend, but all in all this is a great bunch of horror fun.
-CG