Dread (2009)

Three college students set out to document what other people dread the most. However, one of the three turns out to secretly be a sadistic psychopath who uses this knowledge to gruesomely torture the subjects.

Director:

Anthony DiBlasi

Writers:

Clive Barker (based upon the short story "Dread" by), Anthony DiBlasi (screenplay)

Stars:

Jackson Rathbone, Hanne Steen, Laura Donnelly

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jackson Rathbone	...	Stephen Grace
Hanne Steen	...	Cheryl Fromm
Laura Donnelly	...	Abby
Jonathan Readwin	...	Joshua Shaw
Shaun Evans	...	Quaid
Vivian Gray	...	Tabitha Swan
Carl McCrystal	...	Axe Man
Derek Lea	...	Quaid's Father
Siobhan Hewlett	...	Quaid's Mother
Kieran Murphy	...	Young Quaid
Cheyanne Raymond	...	Zooey (as Cheyenne Raymond)
Zoe Stollery	...	Shauna
Elspeth Rae	...	Samantha
Erin Gavin	...	Valerie
Kerry Ann Smith	...	Nurse #1

Storyline

The outcast cinema student, Stephen Grace, does not drive cars due to the trauma of losing his brother in a car accident. He befriends, Quaid, who since the age of 6 has experienced dreadful nightmares and daydreams about the death of his parents. Quaid proposes they research about each one's innermost fear. Stephen sees the chance of developing an original thesis for college and invites his friend, Cheryl, to work with them. Among the interviewees, Stephen talks to his colleague, Abby who works with him in the library. Abby has a complex about the way she looks. When the work is almost complete, Quaid has an outburst at one interviewee's and ends up destroying the camera and editing equipment. Stephen begins to re-evaluate the situation.

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Plot Keywords:

killed with an axe | female captive | friend murders friend | incest victim | childhood trauma | 

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Taglines:

Your Time Will Come.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong bloody violence, disturbing sadistic content, graphic sexuality, nudity and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

It took two to five hours per day to put the birthmark make-up on Laura Donnelly for her role as Abby.

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Goofs

When the flyer for the fear study is being copied, the light illuminates the original from underneath and the wording is not reversed. Since there is no printing on the side you can see, that means that the printed side being copied was printed backwards. Yet the copies coming out are printed correctly.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Quaid: Maybe I'm not being clear enough. Maybe I need to be honest with you and tell you what I want.

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Connections

References Casino (1995)

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Soundtracks

Fearful
Performed by The Stevedores
Words and Music by The Stevedores
Publishing Copyright Control
Master recording courtesy of The Stevedores
Taken from the album 'Tamuawok'

User Reviews

Shrewd Work Marked With Great Intelligence

"Dread" is a work that will remain in your mind for some time after watching the movie. The movie will make you feel sick in your stomach, just like "Saw" and "Hostel", but what separates "Dread" from other movies in the same genre is the level of intellectual incorporated into this movie. Yes, I am talking about intellectual that is very sick, but again, there is no limit to humans intellectual.

Cast wise, I don't know anyone. I have no idea whether they are small timers or novice at all, but all of them did a very good job. I have seen low budget independent movies starring actors who don't even know the basics of acting, just pretty faces. But "Dread" steers itself clear by its cast, which does a very good job.

The best thing(or rather, sick thing) about this movie is that even though it lacks the blood, gore and violence of "Saw" or "Hostel" or "Texas Chainsaw", you still feel sick by the events in the movie. Cause, "Dread" showcase human's limit, when faced with the thing they most fear, in a very naturalistic way. The dark setting throughout the movie greatly adds to the overall sordid atmosphere.

Overall, watch this movie. But one thing, it's not for faint hearted. Even though it's not a horror movie with creepy creatures and gore, it will disgust you for sure.

My Verdict: 7/10

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 October 2009 (Turkey)

Also Known As:

Dread

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$97,438

Company Credits

Production Co:

Essential Entertainment, Matador Pictures, Midnight Picture Show

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min 95 min (Blu-ray)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1