by Spencer Hawken

Created on: September 13, 2009

The name Clive Barker is pretty much one of the most notorious names in horror. The author always is very quick to point out that when horror comes calling it won't have a happy ending. Few of Barker's novels allow the hero to survive. While the authors writing is as popular as ever, movie production has been a little erratic. Hellraiser was incredibly popular but followed by the awful Nightbreed and half a dozen Hellraiser sequels (Not written by Barker by still attributed to him). Candyman again bought the author great visual acclaim, but again was followed by lesser quality movies and yet more Hellraiser. So as you can imagine as I and roughly a thousand other cinemagoers settled down for the Premier of Clive Barkers Dread (based on a short story) at this years Frightfest we waited with baited breath to see what this new movie had to offer.

Dread so it seemed was incredibly well received, its story of three University students carrying out a Kinsey style survey on things that people fear or dread was an interesting topic for a movie. What made the movie so compelling was the fact that each of the three of the students while looking for dread outside their circle actually have the worst possible stories contained within.

The story itself is a varied one, with a running time of 90 minutes the film goes from being totally compelling to moments when you wish things would just get a move on. It seems the movies director is just trying to add dimension to the three main leads; while leaving some of the smaller and potentially more interesting roles in a very one-dimensional frame. One of the movies greatest assets the character of Abby (Laura Donnelly) who plays a character scarred by a birthmark is at times almost forgotten. While the character Joshua (Jonathan Readwin) is given little time to shine till the end.

Of the leading cast too much time is focused in my opinion on Quaid (played by Shaun Evans most recently seen in Martina Cole's The Take) he has by far the most interesting back-story of all our protagonists, but it leaves Stephen Grace (Jackson Rathbone from the Twilight movies) looking a little hollow as what is essentially the movies lead. The character of Cheryl (Hanne Steen) however is given the right amount of time on screen. As the three collect videotapes of people's fears it's the character of Quaid that pushes and pushes for more.

Dread moves at times from being utterly charming to almost grotesque in a Japanese horror style (I mean

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