With a friend coming back from Australia,I decided to look round for a movie that she would enjoy.Due to her being a Simon Pegg fan,I was happy to find that one of his lesser-known movies had turned up at a local DVD shop,which led to me getting ready to discover how fantastic this fear could be.The plot:Unable to sell his children's book, author Jack decides to move on to writing a book on Victorian serial killers (not much of a change there!) Delving into research,Jack starts to become obsessed by the history of the killers,and starts to become paranoid.Locking himself in his flat,Jack gets a call from his publisher,telling him that he must come out,due to their being a big shot producer who wants to adapt Jack's book. Failing to clean up,Jack accidentally super-glues a knife to his hand.Putting a big coat on to hide the knife,Jack steps out into the outside world,where he soon runs into a modern wannabe serial killer.View on the film:Changing chords from Brit Pop band Kula Shaker to the big screen, Crispian "son of Hayley" Mills and fellow co-director Chris Hopewell turn the pages in Jack's book with an ultra-stylised chic.Backed by pounding Hip-Hop songs and a creepy score from Michael Price,the directors and cinematographer Simon Chaudoir lock Jack in his flat with a vice-like grip,as lightning fast whip-pans and scatter shot zoom- ins uncover the terror that Jack fears has joined him in his flat.Opening with a matte painting, Mills & Hopewell show a bravely in taking the chilling mood into unexpectedly quirky routes,by bringing Jack's stories to life in hand-drawn and raw stop-motion animation.Whilst the ending disappointingly leaves Jack's debut novel to end on a whimper,the screenplay by Crispian Mills thankfully spends the rest of the title pulling the blood red Comedy Horror nerves from Jack's paranoia.Opening up Jack's troubled life,Mills unveil all of the anxiety fuelling Jack's horror fears,which leads to bitter slap- stick laughs,as Jack faces his fears on the outside. Twitching across the screen,Simon Pegg gives a great performance as Jack,thanks to Pegg pushing Jack's eyes to bursting and shivering with terror over the smallest thing,as Jack faces his fantastic fear of everything.

If you notice the technical aspects of the movie then its a pretty good movie, the cinematography, back-ground music, the lighting and especially Simon Pegg's acting all add up to the atmosphere, but unfortunately all these things just end up looking like gimmicks in the end, because there is hardly anything concrete in the script to back these elements.Simon Pegg as usual is brilliant, he basically carries the whole film on his shoulders, but the remainder of the cast just don't look the part.At its core this movie has a novel idea, but the director didn't have any clear vision, in terms of his story narration.I am a big Simon Pegg fan, but even then... this one was a hugely disappointing affair, you could easily give it a miss... still if you have to, then watch it for Pegg's acting because there isn't much else, to right home about.

Simon Pegg's character in A FANTASTIC FEAR OF EVERYTHING suffers from the same Post Traumatic Stress that I do when I watch yet another of the seemingly endless television shows (documentaries OR dramas) that deal with serial killers or mass murderers. (This has nothing to do with the fact that I once lived just FOUR blocks from a serial killer in a city where two OTHER serial killers staged what was then the largest escape from Death Row in Virginia's history... Nor the fact that, on at least THREE occasions, serial killers have been credited with local murders here where I now live...) Pegg manages in A FANTASTIC FEAR OF EVERYTHING to convey the sense of heightened paranoia one often feels when surrounded by sinister strangers (or even ordinary, everyday basket cases who babble on to themselves while waiting in line at a convenience store or walking down the sidewalk as if they're communicating with someone on another plane of Existence). I found myself laughing out loud because Pegg's reactions in the movie weren't far removed from my own from time to time. A neat little movie that deserves a look.

For any fans of Simon Pegg or independent cinema who may potentially be discouraged from viewing this film due to the low ratings, don't be fooled! "A Fantastic Fear of Everything" is an incredibly well-done film from start to finish. Pegg delivers a brilliant performance as an agoraphobic writer attempting to delve into the world of Victorian killers for a new book project. His paranoia forces him into a number of hilariously unfortunate and unexpected situations. This is not your typical middle school toilet humor nor does the film set up jokes you can see coming a mile away.Overall, the film is humorous, entertaining, and incorporates a number of dark, unorthodox story-telling features (including bits of animation). Therefore, if you primarily enjoy big-budget blockbusters or expect that every film featuring Simon Pegg to be "Shaun of the Dead" that sadly, you will probably not enjoy this film. However, if you appreciate story-telling, exemplar acting, and something a little different than the norm, I would highly recommend this film.