Eden Lake Review

 

‘Eden Lake’ Film Review: Release Date – October 31^st 2008

James Watkins’ Eden Lake is an adrenaline-filled, heart racing horror which had myself and many others covering our eyes and shouting at the television screen. Actress Kelly Reilly, plays primary school teacher Jenny and her boyfriend Steve played by actor Michael Fassbender. 

When the two go on a romantic camping holiday, the romance comes to an abrupt end when the couple’s private get away is invaded by troublesome-youth in the area.  The situation soon escalates into a gruesome series of events where characters are stabbed, beaten and even burnt alive.

What made this film so horrifying is that Watkins took realistic events that we hear on a day-to-day basis such as stabbings and gang violence and was still able to portray it in such a spine-chilling way.  This in my opinion made the film even scarier due to the realness of it unlike many other horror movies which rely on supernatural characters and monsters to frighten their audience.  

‘Eden Lake’ has also caused a lot of controversy due to the negative representation of teenagers and the working-class through out the film. Although in my opinion, I see the negative light being shifted onto the parents rather than the youth themselves. This is because the parents’ absence and neglect caused their children to find hope and security else where – in this case, a violent gang where members are pressurised and forced into committing bloodcurdling acts by gang leader Brett (Jack O'Connell) subliminally making the parents the real villains in the movie.

The film really highlights some of the problems of today’s society such as the clash between adults and teenagers and the effects that parental neglect has on the behaviour and development of children later in life. Throughout the film, I was constantly reminded of the similar themes in Daniel Barber’s ‘Harry Brown’ which is also about the conflict between the younger and older generation. It is clear to see that these issues were a great concern to writer James Watkins as he portrayed this almost perfectly and in so much detail which gives it an element of believability that is difficult to find in current horrors of today. 

We also get an insight on the couple’s relationship allowing the audience to form an emotional attachment with the characters and long for them to survive against the merciless teens. 

The most shocking part for me was the unforgettable, unpredictable and thought-provoking ending that continuously played in my head long after the film was over. I would definitely rank this in my top three favourite horrors along with Carl Ellsworth and Adam Alleca’s ‘Last House On The Left’ and Alexandre Aja’s ‘The Hills Have Eyes’ and would recommend to anyone who loves a good horror!