I'm not certain what I was expecting from Fear(s) of the Dark, but if it was trying to make me squirm, it succeeded (in places). An animated French horror/thriller anthology film, the thing that gets in its way the most is the lead section and the end are by far the meatiest parts.

I found the final "featured vignette" to be the most effective of them all, not particularly caring for the charcoal-scratchy Dog Walker series that is spread throughout or the manga/anime-inspired Samurai Ghost sequences, and particularly disliking the rorschach blot sequences that have inspired some to say it was a bit too "French" for them. That piece just utterly dragged the whole thing out every time I was starting to enjoy myself.

The first major "piece" involving an introverted young man, his insect collection, and a fateful first date hooked me, it really did, and as I mentioned before, the final sequence was absolutely splendid. They both kept me engaged in the stories and looked beautiful. The connective tissue outside that just left me cold. I love black & white, greyscale animation when done well, so I came away liking the pieces individually that I had fun with and forgave the watch-checking pieces a bit...but even though it feels rude, I have to say check it out on DVD and skip whatever bores you, since I can only recommend portions of the whole film.