Over the years there has been a great tradition of utilising people’s worst fears and phobias to create dastardly horror films. Movies such as Terrifier and It play on the nerves of those that suffer with coulrophobia (a fear of clowns). Arachnophobia obviously traumatised those with an aversion to spiders, and films such as Fall play on the fear of heights. Whilst these films are primed to horrify one subset of audience members, if you don’t suffer from the highlighted disorder then these films are less likely to affect you. Writer and director Aled Owen however, has found a new way to bring phobias into the horror genre with his feature debut, Scopophobia.
Scopophobia is defined as the excessive fear of being seen in public, or stared at by others. Despite its title, the film is unlikely to trigger sufferers. Instead, life living with the condition is expressed via the lead character, Rhiannon (Catrin Jones). After a tragedy at her family’s steel mill, in part caused by Rhiannon and her friends, she is paranoid that everyone she encounters can see the guilt on her face. This presentation makes the phobia more of a background element than something to fully tune into, but nonetheless is an interesting concept to see explored.
Having spent some time away from home, Rhiannon is reunited with her three BFF’s, Sam (Bethany Williams-Potter), Erin (Emma Stacey) and Mia (Ellen Jane-Thomas). After a night of drinking, the group discuss their involvements in the dark events at the now defunct mill. Riddled with guilt, they decide to visit the building in hopes of gaining closure and potentially uncovering a long forgotten windfall. As their confrontation unfolds, the girls begin to grow suspicious – does someone know their secret? Or are their guilty consciences finally catching up to them?
Scopophobia screens at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest as part of the First Blood strand, a selection of films that champions some of the best rising home grown talent. Across the course of the day a variety of subgenres of horror are explored, with Scopophobia providing the murder mystery portion of the programming. Made on a shoestring budget, Owen, who also stars in the film as bartender Oliver, has done excellent work. The opening section is especially moody, shot in monochrome with the exception of bright pops of bloody red. It’s a super stylish way of beginning a story in the past, the black and white fading out to allow the colours of the present to shine.
Whilst there are several fun horror elements to be found in Scopophobia, it is the analysis of the core four females that is most compelling. Throughout the film there are flashbacks to the group’s school days and it is interesting to see how each of the girls has, or has not, changed. The dynamics of the group are intriguing and help set in motion a final act full of revelations and paranoia. Some friendship groups, especially those of the all-female kind, are toxic, and that is exemplified expertly within Rhiannon and her friends.
Although Scopophobia begins and ends strongly, there is a slight sag during its middle portion. This being a first attempt at feature directing, some mistakes are to be expected, and in fairness to Owen, there are not any mistakes as such, just a tad too much meandering and not enough digging into the core story fast enough during the second act. Overall though, Scopophobia offers a great changeup to incorporating aspects of phobias into a film, whilst also accurately portraying the female friendship from Hell.
Scopophobia
Summary
A credible and commendable job from Aled Owen, Scopophobia doesn’t fully achieve all that it could, but does what it can well.
Scopophobia was reviewed at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest 2024.
