A Fantastic Fear of Everything is a 2012 British horror comedy film starring Simon Pegg, written and directed by Crispian Mills with Chris Hopewell as co-director. It is based on the novella Paranoia in the Launderette by Bruce Robinson, writer and director of Withnail and I. Described as a low-budget “semicomedy” about a children’s author-turned-crime-novelist who has become obsessed with murder and murdering, it was released on 8 June 2012 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and received a limited U.S. theatrical release on 7 February 2014.
“Pegg, obviously, is well-known to fans of Edgar Wright’s films, as well as his appearances in blockbuster franchises like “Mission: Impossible” and “Star Trek”, but here, he is basically given a one-man show. He is in every scene, clad in filthy underpants and an open silk robe. He is a phenomenal physical actor. Watching him work is the primary pleasure of “A Fantastic Fear of Everything.” Similar to “Barton Fink,” another hallucinogenic story of a writer haunted by his own unfinished projects and lost opportunities, “A Fantastic Fear of Everything” examines the creative process as seen through the eyes of a writer gone completely mad.”
A Fantastic Fear of Everything’s musical world is filled with paranoid, extraordinary music, from Michael Price’s bold, brassy score, recorded direct to tape at Abbey Road studios, to director Crispian Mills’ serene cover of I’ll See you in My Dreams. Simon Pegg raps, with conviction, at one stage in the film, and a even Europe’s Final Countdown makes an appearance.
A CD-only import soundtrack is available to collectors, if you can track it down, and you can exclusively hear Michael Price’s Main Title theme below.
