You Want Me To What?!

I was over at Serena’s a few weeks back and a friend of hers was talking about a screener he had turned off halfway because it was just this chick running around nude for most of the movie. I, of course, asked the name of it, but he could only remember that the word Naked was in the title. So, because I really have nothing better to do, a little investigative work resulted in the acquisition of Naked Fear shortly after. I figured it couldn’t be worse than the movie we watched while at Serena’s that night – an Anchor Bay stinker called The Cook, which really deserves its own review, but all you need to know is that it’s absolutely atrocious, yet mildly entertaining when watched with a group of like minded individuals – so why not?

Diana (Danielle De Luca) is stuck in small town New Mexico. While working to make enough money to pay off her debts, she is abducted and wakes up naked in the desert. At first she thinks she’s alone, but soon realizes her kidnapper (J.D. Garfield) is hunting her down like wild game.

Half an hour in, as advertised, Diana really was stumbling around the wilderness completely in the buff. God bless her. Now, before you mark this film as sleazy exploitation, you may be surprised to learn that Naked Fear was actually written by a woman.

"They never mentioned this back in drama school."

I have to say that I found Naked Fear oddly intriguing. I’m not going to lie to you though. When they cut away from the chase, it could be downright horrendous. Some of the supporting characters, like the bouncer with the freakishly low voice and Diana’s roommate (who makes everyone else look like Olivier by comparison) were quite laughable. And if I saw one more insert of a mounted deer or elk! Though, like I said, when it came Diana and her pursuer, I was interested and I think(?) it was due to more than just the gratuitous nudity. Naked Fear could have easily been torture porn, but very little is actually shown. I imagine that might be due to budget constraints rather than any conscious choice, but the result is still the same. The ending, which was familiar though still fulfilling, was not what I was expecting either.

I should touch on Danielle De Luca’s performance. I’m not going to say she’s a fireball of talent or anything, but considering all that she goes through, I want to give her credit where credit is due. She approaches the likes of Marilyn Burns and Camille Keaton in terms of enduring what must have been a gruelling shoot.

I wouldn’t recommend you seek this film out, but it is definitely watchable fare. It’s extremely low grade in stretches, but at its core there were some elements that kept me from doing what Serena’s friend did when he was watching it.