Phobia

I enjoyed this film very much despite having limited expectations. Each of the four segments plays out smoothly with few cheap scares and reasonably coherent plot development. That said, none of the chapters are particularly scary and it's all stuff we've seen before. What set it apart for me was the wry ingenuity of Man in the Middle and one small detail in The Last Flight - at one stage when the stewardess is serving the Princess, sunlight reflection from the aeroplane window moves slowly across the bulkhead behind as if the plane is banking. A nice touch. I can overlook that the galley interior is of a much larger plane than the 737 portrayed externally :-).

So, I'm going to write a little mini review for each short as they show and as I see them and then do a review of the movie as a whole after..

story 1: Happiness effective little ghost story using texting as a medium where a recently deceased ghost talks to a home ridden young woman. I will say that this one is pretty creepy, some great shots are displayed and some cliché stuff is also used. I liked this one a lot for some reason, I usually don't get so into movies using cell phones as main plot devices, I.e. one missed call.

story 2: Tit For Tat Bad nu metal in Thai playing almost constantly, check. Attractive main cast bullies who picks on nerdy kid, check. Revenge story? Yes. This one plays out a little similar to another thai film, Art of the Devil 2 which I didn't enjoy too much. It's directed by the dude who did Shutter, which I also didn't like so much.. But despite the awful CG at the end, I enjoyed this one, it was fun and predictable. Predictable may be bad other places, but I enjoyed it here.

story 3: In the Middle I started out disliking this one.. Nu metal, kayaking, stereotypical teenage dudes.. But it's ripe with movie references, comedy that's actually funny, and a pretty decently creepy story. Based on other reviews I thought this might be a lot worse but I actually really enjoyed it.

story 4: Last Fright Probably my favorite of the 4 shorts just because it was built up so well. This one had the most 'classic' feel to it and was a lot of fun, I jumped on the inside a couple times and was into this one all the way through. Nice little Hitchcockian score also.

Anyway, Fun is the best way to describe this nice little anthology. I grew up on Tales From the Crypt and Creepshow and I'm recently in the past years getting more and more into Asian cinema so this is a film I've been looking forward to. Bottom line, it entertained me and that's all I need.

A great rental at least!

Anthology of four horror stories. Most are only ok. The first one is about a lone girl in her apartment. She's been stuck there for three months while her broken leg heals. She starts getting texts from some guy who wants to come up to her apartment but she doesn't even know him. Plus she's all alone. The second is about the kid who gets bullied to death. The third is the story of the friends who go camping and river-rafting until they lose one of the boys to the river. The last is the story of a stewardess on a plane with one passenger, a princess. They none of them are all that; mostly these are mildly entertaining stories.

4Bia, actually title PHOBIA, is a pretty predictable Asian horror anthology, I was mildly entertained but there were no surprises here; those well-versed in Asian horror will see most of the "shocking twists" coming from a mile away. Now that doesn't necessarily mean the film is bad, it just means Thailand has the same problem we do…played-out predictability sells well in theaters. If this were to have been released in the U.S., it would have ended up going straight-to-DVD. This isn't a bad flick, I actually enjoyed "Tit for Tat" and it's stylish CG and the goofy horror comedy of "In The Middle" but nothing really jumped out at me as original or different. It's all pretty average, a "been there, done this" experience indeed.

Through four unsettling tales, Phobia (also known as 4bia) turns everyday situations into nerve-wracking nightmares, proving that fear can strike from any direction.

This Thai horror anthology presents four short films, each with its own distinct style and theme. Loneliness tells of a young woman whose text-message romance leads to terror; Deadly Charm explores bullying and supernatural revenge; The Man in the Middle blends horror with comedy as friends face an eerie twist while rafting; and Flight 244 closes with a tale of karmic justice aboard an airplane.

The anthology format is both its strength and its limitation. It allows for stylistic variety-ranging from psychological dread to supernatural shocks-while maintaining a brisk pace. The directors bring unique tones to their stories, with Loneliness excelling in atmosphere and suspense, while The Man in the Middle offers a rare balance of humor and horror. Some segments, however, rely too heavily on familiar tropes, making them predictable for seasoned horror fans.

Performances are solid across the board, and the production design ensures each segment feels distinct yet cohesive within the anthology. The film's most significant achievement lies in its ability to evoke multiple shades of fear-emotional, psychological, and visceral-within a compact runtime.

Rating: 7/10 - An inventive and engaging Thai horror anthology that delivers varied thrills, with standout segments that showcase both atmospheric tension and clever storytelling.