Future Shock

Anthology film concerning a psychiatrist (Martin Kove) who uses virtual-reality technology to help his patients confront their fears. Bill Paxton, Vivian Schilling, Scott Thompson, Brion James, Sam Clay, Sydney Lassick, James Karen. Directed by Francis “Oley” Sassone, Matt Reeves and Eric Parkinson., Footage from three separate horror projects was assembled for this semi-anthology, framed by the premise of a mad scientist (Martin Kove) who uses virtual-reality technology to delve into the phobias of three different subjects. The first tale, “Jenny Porter,” describes a paranoid woman (Vivian Schilling) trapped in her house by a pack of mad dogs; “The Roommate” features Bill Paxton as a psychotic living companion; and “Mr. Petrified Forest” is the story of a death-obsessed photographer (Sam Clay) who experiences a surreal close call with mortality. There are a few inspired moments — particularly in the final segment — but overall the weakly plotted stories will likely fail to maintain viewers’ interest. The unrated version contains several minutes of gory footage excised from the R-rated print.