Few would have expected a film combining the greatest talents of "Bill and Ted"s Excellent Adventures" and "ET" to have produced a creepy independent thriller. And yet "Fever", directed/written by Alex Winters and starring Henry Thomas, is a dark and morose NYC drama, revolving around a neurotic artist, Nick, who resides in a squalid apartment building.

After the gruesome murder of his Polish landlord, Nick descends into madness via hallucinations, an unidentified fever, visits from his well-off but weird sister (a pre-Desperate Housewives Terri Hatcher) and an enigmatic Irish/Scottish Nazi Gnostic.

Winters successfully formulates a confused world with a blurry fusion of dream and reality. As the audience shares the surreal nightmare the secluded main character endures, the film becomes more haunting. Slow-pacing can often be described as a fault but, in this instance, has been intentionally deployed to create a sparse and ponderous narrative with a sinister atmosphere. Stationary camera shots are specifically used to ensure a voyeuristic ambiance. Winter"s dark, shadow-filled scenes suggest a confident director eager to utilize powerful, grimy imagery to convey specific emotions. The depiction of a hazy and ominous New York skyline by cinematographer Joe DeSalvo is noteworthy and certainly accentuates the intended mood.

Henry Thomas puts in an impressive performance as an engaging anti-sympathetic, anti-hero. His expressive face is able to communicate something mysterious and intense and his forceful acting remains subtle enough to suggest his peculiar character is in danger of toppling over the edge into a claustrophobic isolation. Conversely, his paintings and artistc talents indicate an undiscovered genius with a passion driven by self-doubt and insanity.
Whilst "Fever" is not quite the distinctive film-noir psychodrama it strives to be, it is a worthwhile attempt that disseminates an aroma of dread. It"s detailed examination of the paranoid raw emotions of an unsuccessful young man trapped in a bleak modern world allows individual interpretation and assumes the intelligent audience is willing to decipher Winters" creation. A less clichéd script, more eventful storyline and fewer instances of abrupt "shocking' scenes intended to conclude a period of tension would have improved this interesting and agreeable film.