FearDotCom

[TC]

It's a very rare occasion that I turn off a movie that I've rented before it has ended.  Well, FearDotCom joins that elite club.  I rented it from work the other day, and tried to sit down yesterday to watch it.  I'd just finished Halloween Resurrection which was everything I had expected.  Another predictable, cheesy slasher flick.  So, I threw in FearDotCom expecting a good suspense thriller.  I think I made it through about a half-hour before I turned it off.  First of all, I felt like I had to take a shower after watching it.  One thing that I'm not really into in my movies are characters being tortured.  Even though it's a movie, I just don't feel comfortable watching the scenes.  It's also one reason why I loathed the movie 'Bloodsucking Freaks.'  One thing I will compliment FearDotCom on is the cinematagraphy.  There were some really interesting and eye-catching visuals (at least from the part I got through).  I can't say I really understood the plot completely.  A group of people are murdered, and the only connection between the victims is that they visited a particular snuff website, FearDotCom.  Now, I'm not really Internet savy, but why didn't the police in the movie just contact whoever provided the webspace for this Internet site?  Oh, and there's some kind of supernatural subplot that I didn't figure out involving a little girl.   I guess I just didn't care enough to try.  With no appealing characters, it became pretty difficult to involve myself emtionally at all.   It was a good idea to explore the idea of the Internet and involve it in the horror genre.  Too bad it just wasn't done better.

[Vermin Boy]

I saw FearDotCom in the theater, believe it or not. It's remarkable, in that it makes NO SENSE WHATSOEVER. Plot points are thrown all over the place with no attempt to link them, people say things that make no sense, Jeffrey Combs and Udo Kier are wasted... and the plot. Sweet, merciful God, the plot. Let me get this straight: Feardotcom.com (yes, that's the site in the movie), is haunted by the ghost of a girl who was killed on that website, and if you go there you have 48 hours to avenge her death, or she will kill you in a way relating to your worst fear (and, um, make your eyes bleed), AND you have to figure out for yourself that you have to avenge her death. That seems counterproductive on the ghost's part to say the least, and completely friggin' insane to say the most. And the mad scientist is afraid of guns? What the hell kinda just deserts is that? That's like calling it fitting and ironic if the villain is afraid of going to jail, and he winds up going to jail! Oh, yeah, and my favorite line:

"I just did some research. Turns out the German girl was afraid of drowning."

Where did she research this? Is there an "anonymous German girl fear" database?

(looks up at text) Wow, I kinda went off on a rant there. In case you can't tell, it's a really bad movie. In a way, I sorta recommend it, just because you won't believe how bad is is on such a basic level.

[Drezzy]

It was a cheap knock-off of Ringu that was intended to be released before The Ring so that audiences would think The Ring was a rip-off of FearDotCom and hence hinder The Ring's box-office draw. Kinda backfired when it was made common knowledge that The Ring was based off a Japanese horror movie a couple years old, and that FearDotCom was a huge piece of s**t.

[fireal]

Haven't seen it yet and I never intend to (unless there is a lot of beer involved). I have avoided Hollywood horrors since Jeepers Creepers cause it was the BIGGEST PIECE OF s**t I HAVE EVER SEEN!!!!!! I hurled so much abuse at that one I think I may have invented some new curse words.

[Tyler]

OK, I haven't seent he movie yet, and from these reviews I don't plan to, but I have one question.  How does someone get killed on a website?

[TC]

The little girl wasnt' killed while "on" the website, in the sense she wasn't surfing the Internet.  Her murder was broadcast on the website.  I think a character in the movie describes feardotcom.com as a "snuff murder website".  As if there are just tons of websites available, run by psychopaths who murder people and broadcast it.

[Tyler]

I see.  Sorta like Microsoft then.  :)

[Haze]

I actually kind of enjoyed the inanity.

But I thought that besides ripping off the Ring, it also did to Full Moon effort Horror Vision which is by far a less enjoyable movie but still has more intelligence.