A Fantastic Fear of Everything

"Well, actually, writers and serial killers are very similar. They're practically brothers."

Jack (Pegg), a published author, gained notoriety with his children's book "Harold the Hedgehog" which he blames for ruining his life and his marriage.  He is obsessed with his next book, "Decades of Death," about serial killers from the Victorian Era.  This obsession and research makes him paranoid that someone is trying to kill him.  He refuses to leave his apartment, can't sleep, and carries a knife at all times.

His agent, Clair (Higgins), sets up a meeting with a script supervisor, Harvey Humphries (Kerry Shale) that is interested in "Decades of Death."  All Jack needs to do is show up to dinner in a suit and talk to Humphries... but that involves facing all of his fears: leaving home, laundrettes, and beautiful women.


After the film premiered, I saw a trailer online and couldn't wait to watch this film.  I enjoy Simon Pegg, although I do not love all of his film choices, and immediately added the film to my Netflix queue.  Now that I've seen it, I have to say it wasn't what I was expecting.  The premise is strong and has lots of potential for comedy.  Simon Pegg is a talented at Physical Comedy and makes that gags work.  But the film isn't set as a comedy and it takes a bit to get into the story and figure out what is happening.

That said, Pegg is great and has some funny moments.  You worry about his character, but he nails the psychosis and fully commits to every scene.  I enjoyed the film and would be interested in watching it again to see what new things pop out.  But be warned, the very beginning is a little jumbled / confusing.  Once you understand the situation better, the film improves.

A Fantastic Fear of Everything (2012) 100 minutes
Rating: R for language
Director: Crispian Mills & Chris Hopewell
Starring: Simon Pegg as Jack
Claire Higgins as Clair
Amara Karan as Sangeet
Paul Freeman as Dr. Friedkin
Alan Drake as Perkins