Phobia (1980 film)

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Phobia
Phobia1980.jpg
Theatrical poster
Directed by John Huston
Written byPeter Bellwood
Lew Lehman
Jimmy Sangster
Story by Ronald Shusett
Gary Sherman
Produced byZale Magder
Starring Paul Michael Glaser
Susan Hogan
John Colicos
Cinematography Reginald H. Morris
Edited byStan Cole
Music by André Gagnon
Production
company
Borough Park Productions
Distributed by Paramount 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 that preys on their phobias. [2]

Contents

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

Plot summary

Dr. Peter Ross, a psychiatrist, introduces a radical new therapy and tests it 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.