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Fear Clinic
R2 - United Kingdom - Anchor Bay Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (9th March 2015). |
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The Film
 ***This is an A/V and Extras review only. For reviews on the movie from various critics, we recommend visiting HERE.*** Face your fear. Based on the popular web series from FEARnet.com, Dr Andover (Englund) is a brilliant scientist and psychiatrist, who has developed an innovative new treatment to cure phobias through his, ‘Fear Chamber.’ Patients are put into complete isolation and must face their worst fears in nightmarish hallucinations, to overcome them. However soon after treatment and outside the confines of the chamber, they discover their fears are not only still there, but are more real than ever.... Also starring Fiona Dourif (Curse of Chucky), Thomas Dekker (A Nightmare on Elm Street remake) and Slipknot’s Corey Taylor in his debut feature film role, face your fears and phobias at the FEAR CLINIC.
Video
Unlike in America, Anchor Bay have decided to release "Fear Clinic" on DVD only in the United Kingdom. The release features the transfer in the original aspect ratio of 2.39:1 which is anamorphic and in PAL format. It looks good, and is at the higher end of the spectrum for the genre and budget. Like with the vast majority of horror movies, this transfer has a heavy reliance on how it manages to handle black levels. Thankfully, despite some occasional crush, it does a more than reasonable job. Blacks remain deep through out the duration, and details in the shadows are above average (though certainly not reference quality). The intentionally anemic skin tones are as expected, and suit the general feel of the film. There are quite a few blues in computer graphics, and some vivid neon colours around some of the plastic apparatus and breathing masks, all of which help to add a nice level of depth to the picture. Close-up details are strong for the format, with facial blemishes noticeable and clothing - particularly denim jeans - showing high levels of clarity. Background details are good, but can become a little clunky. There aren't any major issues with the transfer, but some occasional light banding and the aforementioned crush is worth mentioning. There are no obvious signs of edge enhancement or aliasing, and there's no damage to speak of. The feature is uncut and runs 91:36.
Audio
Two audio tracks are included: - English Dolby Digital 5.1 - English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo For my viewing, I did of course opt for the English Dolby Digital 5.1 track, though do note that the film plays using the stereo track by default. It's quite a robust track that does the job required, with the surrounds being used primarily for the score, and for some of the more tense feeling and atmospheric effects. Some of the more subtle elements of the track could have received a little more attention and better channel separation, but what we have is certainly above average for a feature with this budget. Dialogue is clear and concise at all times, and volume levels are consistent. The LFE is suitably used, especially for thuds and thumps. There is no damage to report such as scratches, drop outs, or pops, and I didn't notice any background hiss. No subtitles have been included.
Extras
Unfortunately no extras here. The inclusion of the original web series, or the featurettes that the official Twitter page has been tweeting would have been nice.
Overall
"Fear Clinic" is a mediocre entry into the horror genre, but most fans should find enough to enjoy here, especially the satisfying performances by Robert Englund and Fiona Dourif. Although the lack of extras is disappointing, Anchor Bay have provided a solid audio visual presentation.
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