Phobia (1980)

Director:

John Huston

Writers:

Peter Bellwood (writer)
Lew Lehman (writer)

Release Date:

9 September 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

What happens when your Psychiatrist goes out of his mind?

Plot:

A psychiatrist (Paul Michael Glaser) treats his patients - sufferers from agoraphobia, claustrophobia...

Plot Keywords:

Fear | Psychiatrist | Therapy | Crushed To Death | Explosion

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Paul Michael Glaser	...	Dr. Peter Ross
Susan Hogan	...	Jenny St Clair
John Colicos	...	Barnes
David Bolt	...	Henry Owen
Patricia Collins	...	Dr. Alice Toland
David Eisner	...	Johnny Venuti
Lisa Langlois	...	Laura Adams
Robert O'Ree	...	Bubba King
Alexandra Stewart	...	Barbara Grey
Neil Vipond	...	Dr. Clegg
Marian Waldman	...	Mrs. Casey
Kenneth Welsh	...	Sgt Wheeler
Gwen Thomas	...	Dr. Clemens
Paddy Campanaro	...	Newswoman #1
Gerry Salsberg	...	Newsman #1

Runtime:

94 min | West Germany:86 min

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:16 (re-rating) | Argentina:X (original rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Company:

Borough Park Productions

Trivia:

Gladys Hill, for years 'Huston, John''s personal assistant and co-writer, contributed greatly to the preparation of the final shooting script for Phobia. Uncredited.

Soundtrack:

My Rival

John Huston directed THIS????

A psychiatrist's (Paul Michael Glaser) patients are being killed using their own phobias. Who's doing it...and why? Well...the tag line of the movie gives away the entire plot! I caught this mess back in 1981 on cable TV LATE at night. I watched it because I was bored and love horror movies. Well...it WAS horrible! For one thing Glaser (who can be good) walks through his role like he's on Valium. The murders aren't even well-done and the identity of the killer is very obvious from the very beginning.

You really got to wonder why John Huston picked this to direct. He's good at dramas--not psychological horror films. Whenever he tried to direct something different it was always a disaster. Remember--he directed "Annie" which is considered one of the worst musicals put on film. In this one he seems unsure of how to shot a suspenseful scene or pace the film. This is dragged out and very very dull.

This is basically a forgotten film--let's hope it stays that way! Even Glaser said this was terrible. A 1 all the way.