Spiders' legs brushing against naked skin. Unexplained noises in the dark. A hypodermic needle getting closer and closer. A dead thing trapped in a bottle of formaldehyde. A growling dog running and on the hunt. A big empty house creaking....Six amazing graphic artists and cartoonists lend their distinctive hands to stylize these dark nightmares with no color, only black, white, and gray.

With ultrarealistic techniques now possible, it is important to remember that animation is first and foremost art. Whether slick or rough, paint or pencil, or even originating from a computer, an image is carefully hand designed for every single frame of film. It is the ultimate work of a creator, personally using the drawn frame, chiaroscuro contrast, the angle of the light, and the line movement to tell a story. But it is also the duration of a shot, and what is and isn’t heard. It is the style of the art and the art of the storytelling that make Fear(s) of the Dark so wonderful. Since they come from the artists' own phobias, you can trust a loving exploration into the surreal atmosphere of your creepiest dreams. As your emotions get worked over, you won’t jump up; you will sink in.

Blutch - Christian Hincker, who uses the pseudonym Blutch, made his debut in the magazine Fluide Glacial in 1988. He works as an illustrator for Libération and The New Yorker.

Charles Burns - Charles Burns’s provocative work has appeared in Rolling Stone and The New Yorker and has graced many album covers, including those for Iggy Pop.

Pierre di Sciullo - Graphic artist and typographer Pierre di Sciullo pushes the boundaries for what typography can mean. He was awarded the Charles Nypels Prize in 1999.

Lorenzo Mattotti - Lorenzo Mattotti came to the world’s attention through the 1986 work Fires that took him six years to complete. He recently worked on the film Eros.

Richard McGuire - Richard McGuire’s famous illustrations have appeared on a great number of covers for novels and children’s books, as well as on television and in product design.

Marie Caillou - Marie Caillou attended Strasbourg's School of Decorative Arts and then studied cartoon design in Brussels. In 2003, she directed the short Marika and the Wolf.

Screenings:

Fri. January 18, 2:30pm, Holiday Village Cinema II, Park City
Sat. January 19, 11:30am, Holiday Village Cinema II, Park City
Sun. January 20, 6:30pm, Redstone Cinemas, Kimball Junction
Fri. January 25, 9:00pm, Egyptian Theatre, Park City
Sat. January 26, 3:00pm, Broadway Centre Cinemas IV, SLC

Gordon Spragg
Celluloid Dreams
2 Rue Turgot
Paris 75009
France

gordon@celluloid-dreams.com