Three out of Five stars
Running time: 80 mins

Fear(s) of the Dark is something of a mixed bag – the stories are creepy and weird rather than scary and some are considerably better than others.

What's it all about?
Fear(s) of the Dark (or Peur(s) du Noir) is a French horror anthology featuring creepy tales from a host of comic book legends. The film includes four lengthy segments interspersed with, alternatively: a story about a Victorian era man unleashing his vicious dogs on random strangers (and laughing); and a female voice (Nicole Garcia) detailing various insecurities and fears while black and white shapes unfold on screen.

The longer stories include: a Kafka-esque tale by Charles Burns about a lonely, insecure and insect-obsessed teenager who ends up being dominated by his mysterious new girlfriend; a story by Marie Caillou and Romain Slocombe about a bullied Japanese girl who becomes possessed by the spirit of a Samurai warrior; a tale by Lorenzo Mattotti and Jerry Kramsky, about a boy whose village is plagued by an unseen creature; and a simple but effective tale by Pierre Di Sciullo, about a man trapped in a house and menaced by strange noises.

The Good
The films are loosely thematically linked by universal phobias (the dark, insects, snarling dogs, hypodermic needles, etc.). However, the editing of the film is occasionally confusing (it's a mistake to include two separate linking tales) and the thematic element gets a little lost in the process.

The Charles Burns story is beautifully directed and genuinely creepy to watch, while the animation is extremely striking. Unfortunately, the fact the anthology front-loads the film with its best segment means that the remaining stories suffer by comparison.

The Bad
As is often the case with anthology movies, some segments are better than others. It's also fair to say that two of the films are longer than they need to be, while the film as a whole could have used a little more humour.

Worth seeing?
Fear(s) of the Dark is disappointing in places, but it's definitely worth seeing for the Charles Burns story.