Phobia (1980 film)

Phobia
Theatrical poster
Directed byJohn Huston
Written byPeter Bellwood
Lew Lehman
Jimmy Sangster
Story byRonald Shusett
Gary Sherman
Produced byZale Magder
StarringPaul Michael Glaser
Susan Hogan
John Colicos
CinematographyReginald H. Morris
Edited byStan Cole
Music byAndré Gagnon
Production
company
Borough Park Productions
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • September 9, 1980 (1980-09-09)
Running time
94 min. (approx.)
CountryCanada[1]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$5,100,000
Box office$59,167

Phobia is a 1980 Canadian psychological thriller film directed by John Huston, with a screenplay written by Peter Bellwood, Lew Lehman and Jimmy Sangster; from a story by Ronald Shusett and Gary Sherman. It stars Paul Michael Glaser as an experimental psychotherapist, whose patients are targeted by a killer whose methods prey on their phobias.[2]

The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, before being released in Canada by Paramount Pictures on September 26, 1980, to a lukewarm critical reception.

Plot summary

Dr. Peter Ross, a psychiatrist, introduces a radical new therapy which he tests on five of his patients to cure them of their various fears (heights, crowded places, enclosed spaces, men and snakes). However his patients start being murdered by an unknown assailant using methods relating to their respective fears.

Cast

Reception

Los Angeles Times film critic Kevin Thomas described Phobia as "the worst film ever directed by a winner of the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award."[3]

Reginald H. Morris received a Genie Award nomination for Best Cinematography at the 2nd Genie Awards in 1981.[4]

References

  1. ^ Gerald Pratley, A Century of Canadian Cinema. Lynx Images, 2003. ISBN 1-894073-21-5. p. 169-170.
  2. ^ "Film Review: Phobia (1980)". horrornews.net. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
  3. ^ Thomas, Kevin (17 August 1986). "The China Syndrome (ABC Sunday at 9..." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  4. ^ Jay Scott, "Genie nominations released". The Globe and Mail, February 10, 1981.


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