Modern horror is becoming more and more predictable. If it isn't a remake, it's a movie based around torture, blood, gore and suffering. Now, I am not implying all modern horror is bad, as there are plenty of gems (both mainstream Hollywood and foreign), but I am saying originality is scarce and cliché is abundant. Eden Lake, directed by James Watkins (who wrote My Little Eye), turns a tired formula of 'vacationing couple attacked by strangers' and turns it into a brutal tale of survival with fantastic performances and a great script.
The story is relatively simple, which in this case is a strength, as the film is not bogged down with unnecessary twists or development. Steve (Michael Fassbender) decides to take his girlfriend Jenny (Kelly Reilly) to a secluded lake which is about to be populated with homes in order to propose to her. This turns sour when a group of rowdy teens show up, led by the violent and unpredictable Brett (Jack O'Connell from Skins fame), and a confrontation gets ugly. From here on the couple are brutally attacked by the gang, and things get ugly quick.
This simple setting allows for maximum tension, as the couple need to think on their feet to get away from the hoodlums. Some have claimed it is unrealistic and that the characters are stupid, but I think some people need to remember that in a situation like this, not everyone can stay calm and think rationally. Some people do stupid things not knowing they are stupid, and in a movie, especially a horror, it is these decisions that drive the movie forward. Also, I found that this movie was fairly good in avoiding making the characters overly stupid. For the most part this movie was quite real and unrelenting in its portrayal of violent youth and two normal people driven to violent actions.
Eden Lake is beautifully shot and overall very well made, which makes it one of the best entries of recent horror. However, Eden Lake is also very disturbing and at times rather graphic, yet not so much that it is gratuitous. The film is depressing, with no happy ending for any characters, which suits the tone Watkins is obviously going for. At times the movie had me feeling a little upset, not because of the on screen violence, but the way the film is made. The group of teens are not all psychopathic, and seeing some of their reluctance and fall to peer pressure is all too familiar. Although Watkins isn't subtle about it, the current issue of gang violence is definitely important and Eden Lake does raise it. If you can stomach it, this is a very well made horror film which had me frightened, tense and utterly glued to the screen.
A solid 4/5
The story is relatively simple, which in this case is a strength, as the film is not bogged down with unnecessary twists or development. Steve (Michael Fassbender) decides to take his girlfriend Jenny (Kelly Reilly) to a secluded lake which is about to be populated with homes in order to propose to her. This turns sour when a group of rowdy teens show up, led by the violent and unpredictable Brett (Jack O'Connell from Skins fame), and a confrontation gets ugly. From here on the couple are brutally attacked by the gang, and things get ugly quick.
This simple setting allows for maximum tension, as the couple need to think on their feet to get away from the hoodlums. Some have claimed it is unrealistic and that the characters are stupid, but I think some people need to remember that in a situation like this, not everyone can stay calm and think rationally. Some people do stupid things not knowing they are stupid, and in a movie, especially a horror, it is these decisions that drive the movie forward. Also, I found that this movie was fairly good in avoiding making the characters overly stupid. For the most part this movie was quite real and unrelenting in its portrayal of violent youth and two normal people driven to violent actions.
Eden Lake is beautifully shot and overall very well made, which makes it one of the best entries of recent horror. However, Eden Lake is also very disturbing and at times rather graphic, yet not so much that it is gratuitous. The film is depressing, with no happy ending for any characters, which suits the tone Watkins is obviously going for. At times the movie had me feeling a little upset, not because of the on screen violence, but the way the film is made. The group of teens are not all psychopathic, and seeing some of their reluctance and fall to peer pressure is all too familiar. Although Watkins isn't subtle about it, the current issue of gang violence is definitely important and Eden Lake does raise it. If you can stomach it, this is a very well made horror film which had me frightened, tense and utterly glued to the screen.
A solid 4/5