We could start with why a hermit-like London writer, steeped in research about Victorian-era killers and afraid of being murdered himself, would keep his ratty flat in near total darkness.
But the dreary, loud, amateurish horror-comedy “A Fantastic Fear of Everything” starring
Writer/director Crispian Mills, a rock musician making his feature directing debut, starts with an interminable set-up in which a bushy-haired Pegg -- in bathrobe and briefs and evincing a sort of reverse charm from his engaging turns in pal
By the time the third act tries to tie everything together with a (not so surprising) serial killer, flashes of stop-motion animation, and a message about overcoming childhood anxiety, one wonders if the moviegoing trauma of seeing "A Fantastic Fear of Everything" can easily be erased.
---------------------------------
"A Fantastic Fear of Everything"
MPAA rating: R for language
Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Playing: at the Laemmle Noho 7