AGORAPHOBIA: A Suspenseful Thriller Mixing Mental Illness And The Paranormal

It’s a timely release for a horror film like Agoraphobia, after most of the world has been confined to their homes for much of the last year. Written and directed by Lou Simon, this film tells the story of Faye (Cassandra Scerbo), an agoraphobic woman who is moving into her recently deceased father’s home to continue treatment under the care of her psychiatrist, Dr. Murphy played by horror film legend, Tony Todd,  best known for his role in Candyman.

Sunshine and Stormy Weather

Blood and body parts flash across the screen as the film opens with a man dismembering a human body, giving the audience a glimpse into a murder we can assume has gone unsolved. It sets us up for the twist that comes at the end. Who is this man? Who did he kill? And why? These questions lingered in my mind. I watched with anticipation as the film unfolded.

Faye is carried into the home she inherited from her recently deceased father, by her husband Tom (Adam Brudnicki) and accompanied by their friend, Stephanie (Aniela McGuinness). A few moments later, they are joined by Dr. Murphy (Tony Todd) and her Aunt Margie (Maria Olsen), who are there to help facilitate her treatment for agoraphobia and help her adjust to her surroundings. Faye has a paralyzing fear of going outside. Even looking at the view outside from her safe walls causes anxiety and panic attacks.

Tom tells Faye he will be working on a big case downtown and won’t be able to come home every night. She clearly doesn’t like the idea of being home alone but she also hates the idea of being a burden to their friend Stephanie so they hire Nina (Gema Calero) to help take care of Faye and the house while Tom is away working on his trial case.  Faye’s mind starts playing tricks on her… or so we’re led to believe.

The Plot Thickens

Is it Faye’s mental illness playing tricks on her or is there something more sinister going on? As the lines begin to blur between her illness and the paranormal, strange things start to occur in the home. Is she just paranoid? Is someone messing with her on purpose? Is there another presence in the house that no one is aware of? I began to ask myself these questions as I continued to watch Agoraphobia. Simon kept the suspense high while Faye didn’t appear to be getting better, even though that was the whole reason for her being treated in this home.

As the plot thickens and Faye takes one step forward, two steps back, making some progress but not enough, we begin to see more ghostly aspirations, strange behaviors, gruesome deaths, betrayals, and a plot twist, which leaves the viewers with a full closure satisfaction of all the loose ends being tied up.

Behind the Scenes

Agoraphobia takes place in one location, in a beautiful house with the backdrop of the Florida Key’s oceans and lush green plant life. Simon and her crew made great use of the location. Low-budget films require clever use of few locations and this was executed well by Simon and her crew. For a low-budget production, Agoraphobia is a high-quality film with a solid storyline and good cast.

Cinematographer, Stephen Brevig has a good eye for attention to detail and shot the scenes beautifully. The sound design was a perfect companion to the imagery. The blood and gore are just enough to keep it in the horror genre but not enough to make me turn my head and hide my eyes. Some scenes are haunting. The haunting scenes play out with a perfect dark and ominous effect that sends chills without the jump. The post-production team did a fantastic job with the effects.

Scerbo carries the film well with her acting and makes Faye’s illness believable. Her facial expressions are animated enough to be convincing and she does the character justice. It’s too easy to typecast an actor and keep them playing the same type of role film after film. It was enjoyable seeing Tony Todd in a different role than what we’re used to seeing him portray. Simon made great use of his talents, by showcasing another side of the actor. The supporting actors weren’t as strong though, at times it felt like Brudnicki and McGuinness were phoning it in.

Conclusion

With her third feature film, Lou Simon has done a decent job at keeping the audience engaged through her tale of emotional and mental turbulence fueled with the spice of paranormal and supernatural elements coming together. This film has just the right amount of effects to pull it off well without being too cheesy, like a lot of films in the horror genre have a tendency to overdo.

Agoraphobia won several awards from film festivals worldwide, and was picked up by a distributor in 2015 but had a long legal battle and was tied up in litigation for years before it was legally able to be released in the United States. As of February 2021, Agoraphobia is finally available for viewing in North America.

After being isolated in your home for a lengthy period of time, did you face any anxiety about going outside again for the first time?

The suspenseful horror thriller, Agoraphobia can be rented or bought on Amazon, watched for free on the Binge Channel on Roku and on TubiTV.

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