FEARDOTCOM (REVIEW)

Dir. William Malone

Reviewer. Martyn Wakefield

It's hard to believe that 2002 was a mere 20 years ago. Looking back at movies still feels like yesterday and yet it's like watching THE EVIL DEAD in 2001. Strangely we now look back at some of the harshly received films with a nostalgic lens and maybe give them a second birth. This has been the case with the likes of THIRTEEN GHOSTS and HOUSE OF WAX and so should be the case for FEARDOTCOM.

On principle it's THE RING meets SE7EN and came a mere 2 years before James Wan made detective noir a horror staple. When a sadistic murderer kidnaps and tortures beautiful women and records and streams their deaths, one spirit lives on for revenge and begins to haunt those who see the streams and repays them with death 48 hours later. Subsequently it's a fight against time for detective Stephen Dorff and researcher Natascha McElhone to uncover the truth and end the curse.

With a grime ridden NYC and chillingly graphic scenes of mutilation, it's hard to see how this has fallen down the cracks for many horror fans with many comments negatively reflecting on what is a postcard of the era of film making. Serious detective pursuit, nu metal soundtrack, a penchant for graphic violence and an early onboarding of technology that was revolutionary them and hasn't aged well now.

Yes, it's OK to say the film takes itself too seriously and some of the performances have aged as well as Windows 2000 but its commitment to its story is unquestionable and it's one of the best visual experiences of the era. In a world of cult nostalgia, this needs to be taken back into people's hearts as the conclusion is up there with the likes of EVENT HORIZON and SOCIETY for a gonzo, kinetic assault of a frenzied finale. Plus, Jeffrey Combs.