Eden Lake

EDEN LAKE is a surprisingly great quality and well acted Survival/Revenge Horror film. It's a British film written and directed by James Watkins, who happens to be one of the screenwriters for the upcoming sequel to THE DESCENT. The film's plot is simple. A couple, Steve and Jenny, go to a lake out in the middle of nowhere to relax and spend some quality time together. Steve's ultimate goal of proposing to Jenny is ruined when they are harassed by a group of teenagers. Some back and forth trash talking goes on between Steve and the alpha male of the teen troublemakers. To make a long story short, things go a little too far and result with Steve being beaten and tortured. The teens panic and decide in order to not end up in prison that they must simply murder Steve and Jenny and cover their tracks. Jenny, who is normally a sweet and caring person, is now faced with the dilemma of finding the monster within herself in order to get her and Steve out of the area alive. And boy does she.

I was pretty much blown away by this movie. Next to INSIDE, ROGUE, and TEETH, it's probably one of my favorite Dimension Extreme movies. It's not so much the brutality of the film that made me like it, but the suspense that kept my eyes glued to the screen. Don't get me wrong, it IS a brutal film, but to me the suspense and emotion (and sometimes lack thereof) is what made the movie great. It started off as a run of the mill Survival Horror film and the characters of Steve and Jenny pushed the boundaries of the whole "so in love it's disgusting" couple that most films set up in order to make their inevitable demise THAT much more heartbreaking. It's clever but it's a cheap way to get the villain(s) of the film over. However, once the film went on, what slight feelings I had of disappointment soon left me. The antagonists in the film are so vile and disgusting and unlikeable. Add that to the fact that Steve and especially Jenny are so extremely likeable and BELIEVABLE as a couple anyway and it makes for a win/win situation. What makes Steve and Jenny real is that most adults can relate to their situation. For instance...

Have you ever gone to a movie theater to simply just relax and watch a movie, only to have your hard earned money wasted when you realize that the teenagers who walked in and sat right in front of you during the trailers will NOT stop talking and laughing? In most cases, people will leave the theater or just sit there and HOPE that they stop talking so that you can enjoy what little free time you have. Regardless, have you ever wanted to lift your leg and kick the back of the head of the annoying person sitting in front of you as hard as you can? Of course you have. If you fit the above description, then congratulations! You can now relate to Steve and Jenny's situation, except multiply it by a THOUSAND. And not only can you relate to them, but chances are you'll enjoy this film. But be warned... without spoiling anything, let's just say that the ending is not a happy one. And with the lack of happiness and relief will come a feeling of pure disgust knowing that the things in this film could actually happen and probably, at some point in time, HAVE happened. The characters in this film are real people. No monsters, no zombies, just regular people, which is what makes EDEN PARK truly horrific.

Granted, the film does have its cliche moments. For example, Steve driving into the woods and taking a shortcut to the lake when his talking GPS thing clearly tells him to "Turn Around", at which point him and Jenny look at each other and laugh. Also the story, while well done, is not original and it's ultimately a story that we've all seen before. The film takes a few twists and turns during the climax, leading to an ending that made me feel similar to how I felt when I watched the end of THE MIST, which is as much as I'll say about that. Gorehounds will also be satisfied as this movie has no shortage of blood and torture. A scene that stands out is one where a kid (who looks like he's about twelve years old) is stabbed in the neck and another one (who looks even younger) being set on fire! Needless to say if violence against teenagers is not your thing, you might want to skip this one. Also, by the end of the film Jenny (played by the adorable Kelly Reilly) is covered from head to toe in what looks like a combination of blood, pus, and feces. Overall, it's not an original movie, but still a suspenseful and violent one. It's not so much disgusting as it is moving. The cast and characters are great, the film quality is better than average, and it's definitely one of those films that you'll be recommending to friends just so you can hear their reaction after watching it. If you're a Horror fan, get your paws on EDEN PARK as soon as you get a chance.

4 stars

When I first saw promos for Eden Lake, I classified it as being just another torture flick that provides sadism just for the sake of sadism, with no other true horror elements thrown in at all. Well, I was wrong, very wrong. While Eden Lake does offer some truly brutal moments of shocking violence, it also provides an equal amount of true suspense that really will keep your eyes glued to the screen. Kelly Reilly and Michael Fassbender star as a young couple who run afoul of a gang of murderous teens while trying to spend a romantic weekend together. What develops is a truly frightening, shocking, and bloody fight for survival that shows writer/director James Watkins hardly pulling any punches in showing the audience. Eden Lake's cast is surprisingly pretty solid, and Watkins' pacing is nearly pitch-perfect as well. The only real flaws of Eden Lake lie in its screenplay, as our couple does some pretty unwise things as situations develop, and the film's finale may leave you screaming at your television. Still, Eden Lake is a surprisingly good, and brutal, flick that is notable due to the slickness of Watkins' camera and the infusion of some great suspense, and is definitely worth checking out for horror fans that are seeking a little bit of suspense mixed with their brutality and bloody violence.

I just want to say right off the bat that `Eden Lake' is a terrible film. I mean, there are few films that make me nauseous to the point of wanting to actually STAB a person to death, but `Eden Lake' simultaneously made me sick to my stomach and enraged to the point of mental instability.

THERE ONLY KIDS...and yet, they are sick, sick...SICK.

`Eden Lake' brings absolutely nothing new to the table, unless you consider the idea of a pack of youths being the perpetrators of grotesque violence `new', but it works because of some slick directing/editing that continually keeps you on edge and brings ample amounts of fear. I, sadly, heard the ending long before ever actually seeing the film, so some of the surprise was deflated from my viewing pleasure (if that word is even appropriate for this breed of film) and yet I was still held in a tense web of fear while watching it.

The film follows a lovely pair (Steve and Jenny) of lovebirds who are taking a vacation into the woods to visit a lake that Steve has visited before and finds so beautiful and secluded he just has to take his blushing love interest, and soon to be fiancé (yes, he has a ring in his pocket). Before they even make it to the lake, they brush alongside the native flock and find their taste rather bitter. Yes, the warning signs (clichéd ones at that) abound heavily in this film, and the stereotypical way with which the `trailer trash' type characters found in `these here parts' could be comically generic were they not genuinely terrifying.

While you can feasibly think of a million things Steve and Jenny could have done `better', there really seems like no other alternative to their fates than the one paved away for them in this film.

Michael Fassbender is quickly proving himself one of the best `new' actors gracing the screen today. While this is not one of his finest moments (that is only to say that his onslaught of other screen appearances are better), he is still gripping and dripping with charm. The real standout here is Kelly Reilly, who is just brilliant here. She delivers so many sides of her characters, and it shows in every frame. Whether she's coyly vying for attention or genuinely petrified; pleading for her life or brutally defending herself...she is a force in this film. UGH, and that final scene, in the bathroom...just...my eyes are still stinging from the tears!

So, in the end I can't really praise this film much. It is terrifying in many parts, and it holds up the thrills for the majority of the film, but the bountiful clichés and the use of such young children in a horrific light (at one point they even light a young boy's head on fire) really make this cinematic experience one I could certainly live without.

But I'll always have Kelly Reilly's performance to remember fondly.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 66 reviews  3.9 out of 5 stars