FEAR (1981)
aka MURDER SYNDROME Directed by Riccardo Freda
Wizard Video VHS
THE FILM
I've taken a couple of impulse road trips before. They usually involve pretzels, video stores, and British Invasion compilations, but never chainsaws, satanists, or spiders with four-foot leg spans. Time to move to Italy.
Buona sera! Let's join the late, longtime director Riccardo Freda (The Ghost) on the set of his second-to-last production, which was co-produced in Italy and France. Fear is a seedy clump of solemn insanity that hits more than it misses. Basically, a group of people end up at an old mansion and weird stuff starts to happen. There's a guy named "The Maestro" too. He doesn't eat Rolled Gold Thins, but the ladies don't mind a bit. Maestro, can you lend me your wand?
Michael Stanford is a "famous" actor, fresh off of his latest slasher film. On impulse, he packs up girlfriend Deborah and takes to the country to visit dear old Mom for the weekend. But Mom's not so old. In fact, she looks to be the same age as Michael. As we tuck that fact under the rug, "Fear" caulks down the sleaze. Michael's film pals arrive (including Laura Gemser aka Emanuelle) to hang out and the twists begin. Sketchy pasts, black gloves, double crosses, grubby sex, random gore...Mama, you've got some 'splaining to do.
Fear starts out as a common slasher, but bends things just right, finishing up as a kind of Savage Weekend meets The Nesting gone good. Aside from a gruff rape scene and a live chicken beheading, Freda and company deliver a pleasantly skewed mix of frightening imagery, booming locations, and cheap, perverted fireworks. They throw it all in. The script and mobile direction keep things ticking and most of the surprises catch you off guard. The metamorphosis of the film was impressive, but never indomitable. A reliance on flashing breasts, over acting, and terrible post-dubbing made sure of that. Even so, there's style and peculiarity to spare; no matter how many times the film takes the easy way out, there's usually something substantial to pull you back in.
There's nothing quite like open roads, burning crosses, and big time incest, eh friend? Straordinario!
AUDIO AND VIDEO
Fear looked better in clip-form during Zombiethon, but what can you do? The clarity was like a glasses prescription gone bad, but the colors were there. The mono sound crackled with glee.
EXTRAS
Way to be generic, Mr. Wizard.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Not vital trash, but certainly entertaining, Fear forks over the scuzz and mostly shines because of it. Should you choose to search, this ultra obscurity will reward you with a decent night's viewing. If not, there’s always next weekend.
— Joseph A. Ziemba, 03.30.06 | 
Oh mama
Not the maestro
Yes, bleeding skulls
She missed a spot
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