science

Phobia (1980 film)

Phobia (1980 film) is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Phobia (1980 film) rather than just read about it. In short: Phobia is a 1980 Canadian psychological horror thriller film directed by John Huston, with a screenplay by Peter Bellwood, Lew Lehman and Jimmy Sangster; from a story by Ronald Shusett and Gary Sherman. It stars Paul Michael Glaser, Susan Hogan, and John Colicos.

Key takeaways

Phobia (1980 film) belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Phobia (1980 film) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Phobia (1980 film) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Phobia is a 1980 Canadian psychological horror thriller film directed by John Huston, with a screenplay by Peter Bellwood, Lew Lehman and Jimmy Sangster; from a story by Ronald Shusett and Gary Sherman. It stars Paul Michael Glaser, Susan Hogan, and John Colicos. In the film, experimental psychotherapist Dr. Peter Ross' (Glaser) patients are targeted by a killer that preys on their phobias. The film premiered at the 37th Venice International Film Festival, before being released in Canada by Paramount Pictures on September 26, 1980, to a generally negative response and poor box office performance.

Plot

Dr. Peter Ross, a psychiatrist, introduces a radical new therapy and tests it on five of his patients to cure them of their various fears (heights, crowded places, enclosed spaces, men and snakes). However, his patients start being murdered by an unknown assailant using methods relating to their respective fears.

Cast

Production Phobia was the only horror film directed by John Huston, and his only film produced in Canada. The film was shot in Toronto, with many scenes filmed at Humber Polytechnic College. The screenplay was re-written during production by an uncredited Dan O'Bannon and Gladys Hill (John Huston's longtime assistant). In his book Dan O'Bannon's Guide to Screenplay Structure, O'Bannon claimed the script was altered without his input by a producer. He disliked the changes and offered to Huston his earlier draft, but Huston declined as a matter of convenience.

Release The film premiered in-competition at the 37th Venice International Film Festival. It was released in Canada and the United States by Paramount Pictures on September 26, 1980.

Home media After years of being unavailable of home video, a remastered blu-ray was released in November 2019 by Kino Lorber.

Reception

Critical response Los Angeles Times film critic Kevin Thomas described Phobia in a 1986 review as "the worst film ever directed by a winner of the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award" after director John Huston received the honor in 1983. Matt Brunson of Film Frenzy wrote "There’s so little sense of style in this film that Huston’s involvement must have solely consisted of yelling 'Action!' and 'Cut!' from inside his trailer." In a review for Blu-Ray.com, Neil Lumbard called it "the worst directing of John Huston's career." Conversely, Diego Galán of El País gave the film more positive marks, writing "It's not a masterpiece, but it is an admirable work of craftsmanship."

Awards and nominations

References

External links Phobia at IMDb Phobia at Rotten Tomatoes Phobia at Box Office Mojo

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Phobia (1980 film)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Phobia (1980 film) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Phobia (1980 film) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Phobia (1980 film) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Phobia (1980 film)

In research: Phobia (1980 film) appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Phobia (1980 film) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Phobia (1980 film) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1980 Canadian films, 1980 English-language films, 1980 films, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Phobia (1980 film) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Phobia (1980 film) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Phobia (1980 film) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Phobia (1980 film) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Phobia (1980 film) in simple terms?

Why does Phobia (1980 film) matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Phobia (1980 film)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Phobia (1980 film).