Slow-moving, genuinely unsettling film, based on a Clive Barker story, written by the director, about an obsessive sadist, Quaid(Shaun Evans, whose character is truly a creepy, demented soul)who starts up a friendship with a wannabe filmmaker/student, Stephen(Jackson Rathbone)talking him into basing his thesis on fear, interviewing a plethora of subjects, observing their moments of dread. Stephen partners with Cheryl(Hanne Steen), an editor, and the trio compile the thesis, but Quaid wants more truth and trauma..it's all part of Quaid's ultimate goal to understand fear through others' dread so he can be freed from the monster that lurks in his nightmares, a hooded killer who used an ax to butcher his parents right before his eyes. Such a devastating experience is certain to warp a young child's mind and so he seeks total gratification by inducing trauma through any means necessary by pitting the worst fears against his chosen victims. This movie is a dark, dark tale, with quite a disturbing conclusion. The heralded "meat" sequence, regarding Cheryl's torment at the hands of Quaid who uses her worst fear against her, a past of molestation by her father who worked at a slaughterhouse brought back to the surface in a most unfortunate way, packs a wallop. The entire cast is excellent, every important role, especially Evans and Laura Donnelly(as Abby, whose face and body is inflicted with discolored skin pigmentation which is the source of her misery, despite the fact that she is a sweetheart, taken advantage of by Quaid who preys on her vulnerability)is handled effectively. Quaid is quite a memorable character, he's such a cold-hearted sociopath willing to go to any lengths to not only "face the beast", but "touch the beast". In regards to the violence, it's stylishly presented, in particular the way director Anthony DiBlasi uses camera angles with the ax as the killer moves up the stairs(and how it buries into the face of Quaid's mother, and into another victim's torso). But, the starvation of a victim, who eventually eats rotted meat in the hopes of getting out of her temporary prison, is just as potent and shocking as any amount of grue. The most amusing scene, while quite eye-popping, is when Quaid sees a stripper opened up with various imaginary slices of the skin, not long after flushing all his meds, a hallucination that expresses just how far gone he is. How Abby responds to a cruel act from Quaid, embarrassed because she was baring her heart and soul to Stephen, is really blood-curdling in how it pertains to her attempt to "clean herself" of her current affliction. I imagine this kind of movie leaves one with a bad taste in their mouth due to it's unnerving close. What Quaid does to a kid, who suffered a period of deafness after being hit by a car, will be certain to appall. This film has some graphic scenes involving Quaid's love making to Abby and his oral pleasure to a girl he picks up at a club..just a word of warning if such things repulse you(as if the subject matter itself isn't enough).