Fear (2023 film)

Fear is a 2023 American horror thriller directed by Deon Taylor, co-written by Taylor and John Ferry, and starring Joseph Sikora, Andrew Bachelor, Annie Ilonzeh, Ruby Modine, Iddo Goldberg, Terrence Jenkins, Jessica Allain and Tip "T.I." Harris.

The film was released in the United States on January 27, 2023. It received generally negative reviews and grossed $2.1 million.

Plot
A weekend vacation turns sinister when a group of friends confronts their worst fears one by one.

Production
Fear, originally titled Don't Fear, was shot in 17 days in Kyburz, California, during the COVID-19 pandemic in August 2020.

The film's score was composed by Geoff Zanelli, who scored several of Taylor's previous films.

Release
Fear was set to be released on Valentine's Day weekend in 2022, as the first release of Hidden Empire Film Group's new distribution company, Hidden Empire Releasing. The film was released in the United States on January 27, 2023. It released via video on demand on April 25, 2023.

Reception
Matthew Monagle of The Austin Chronicle wrote, "It is frustrating to watch Fear carelessly oscillate between creature feature, haunted house movie, and folk horror... In the end, the scariest thing about Fear is its stock video opening montage – not a compliment any director wants to hear." Katie Walsh of the Tribune News Service praised the cinematography, score and sound design, but criticized the script as "prov[ing] that it is possible to have too many ideas for just one film." She added, "Deadliest of all, Fear is just not scary. The jump scares don't land, the fears themselves are all a bit silly and it feels like Taylor is holding back for the majority of the run time." Common Sense Media's Jeffrey M. Anderson gave the film 2/5 stars, writing, "Despite a diverse cast and a nifty location, this soggy, inert horror movie unfolds with a most unimaginative collection of worn-out genre staples, starting with its bland title."

Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3/4 stars, writing, "There's nothing subtle or deeply original about Fear, though it does feature some impressive albeit low-budget special effects, first-rate production design and strong performances from the cast; it knows we've seen a dozen other movies about a group of friends who meet up in the country for what they hope will be an idyllic weekend, only to see things quickly go from mildly disturbing to truly weird to deeply concerning to horrifying bloody."