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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
British director James Watkins’s directorial debut is an overtly moralistic thriller centering around a couple who are trapped and taunted lakeside by a gang of teenage bullies, led by a boy named Brett (Jack O’Connell). Warning signs to stay out of this camping area abound, in the spirit of myriad camping-trip-gone-awry tales, like the classic Friday the 13th. The challenge, here, is to subvert those warning signs in order to harness some minor sympathy for the alleged victims to be. However, Steve (Michael Fassbender) and Jenny (Kelly Reilly) are too wrapped up in puppy love to turn around, even when their GPS signal advises them to do so. As a gang of wayward kids pick fights with Steve and Kelly, the couple attempts escape... at first. But Steve’s desire for revenge impels him to search for the delinquents’ parents, which becomes the couple’s downfall. A good portion of Eden Lake is devoted to the chase, during which Steve and Kelly look increasingly swampy under caked on layers of blood and mud. These scenes are well done, fast-paced, and here, enacting fear, Kelly Reilly is at her best. But as the film progresses, one sees so many connections between the teens’ violence and the abhorrent behavior of their parents, that Eden Lake leaves no character interpretation up to the viewer. Yes, bad parents usually make bad teens. But a deeper investigation into Brett’s inner mind, or his ability to follow through with torture and the sadistic control he exhibits over his gang, would result in less obvious, and possibly more interesting explanations for criminal action. Though many Dimension Extreme films are cutting edge in the horror genre (see Inside), Eden Lake is not one of them. --Trinie Dalton
Product Description
Like a bad dream turned worst nightmare, Eden Lake is a "relentlessly tense and immaculately paced" (Twitch Film) horror-thriller about modern youth gone wild. When a young couple goes to a remote wooded lake for a romantic getaway, their quiet weekend is shattered by an aggressive group of local kids. Rowdiness quickly turns to rage as the teens terrorize the couple in unimaginable ways, and a weekend outing becomes a bloody battle for survival. Eden Lake is "fierce, thought-provoking ... and genuinely shocking" (Time Out London).
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
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
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
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
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.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
There have been many attempts at a genre film that emulates a very real feeling of horror that may happen in real life. I've seen quite a good number of them, some are decent, some are great but most failed to impress. Writer and director James Watkins' "Eden Lake" may have the usual clichés of horror suspense thrillers, the main premise offers nothing new, but what makes it very different is the fact that it carries a lot of effective humanity in its proceedings, that whatever it may lack in originality, the journey itself is rewarding--proves once again that true terror may just be out there.
Steve and Jenny (Michael Fassbender and Kelly Reilly respectively) is a couple very much in love. They decide to spend the weekend in the wilderness to have some quality time, and unknown to Jenny, Steve plans on proposing. Their time together is broken up when they ran across a group of aggressive of local kids. Rowdiness turns to rage as the teenagers terrorize the couple in unimaginable ways and the weekend outing becomes a fight for survival.
I wasn't kidding when I said that the film's set up is full of cliché. At first impression, I was ready to tell myself that the film was just another thriller until I saw just how the direction slowly unfolded. Sure, there were some cheap scares and some dumb behavior in the part of the protagonists that I didn't exactly buy into in the beginning, but thankfully the script abandons the flaws. What really got me into the film is the fact that even though there is very minor character development in the beginning, you get to know Steve and Jenny through their horrific experiences. Other films such as "Them" and "The Strangers" tried but failed to make the audience "feel" for the characters' predicaments, to put them behind the eyes of the leads--this film does so very effectively because it carried a lot of emotional content.
The characters have their own feelings. Even the teenagers, despite their horrific deeds, aren't one-dimensional. These kids have emotions and their characteristics are displayed when they disagree, argue and have second thoughts. Brett (Jack O'Connell) is the group's leader and one may wonder as to how a young man such as this would be so without conscience. There is a subtle hint at abuse when Steve stumbled on their home and especially during the final act. The other members of the group offer some guilt and reluctance, but they were just so caught up in the moment or they were scared of Brett or for themselves.
I suppose the situation itself had driven the characters into such actions. I loved the way the director set everything up, it seemed as if unintentional reactions, dark coincidence and bad decisions enforced with rage were all the cause of the terrifying experience for Steve and Jenny. These teenagers are very angry, well, maybe two of them served as some light at the end of the tunnel, but the situation may have scared both the victims and the hunters. The film is definitely an emotional affair that I wouldn't really call this a 100% horror film, but more of a horrifying drama. There is some blood and very little gore, and it doesn't depend on those elements, but focuses more on the situation itself--which makes it more an emotional horror film, with a lot of visceral punch.
The performances are quite good, although Kelly Reilly may have stolen the show. Reilly is so convincing on the anger, fear and her reactions that I was genuinely touched by her plight. Steve's "proposal" adds some feeling of sympathy, but it doesn't end there. The teenagers were also very meshed together and managed to show a lot of humanity despite their unbecoming behavior, when I say humanity, I didn't mean the pleasant side--I meant the dark side.
The film's cinematography is very good and while all these things happen in a huge wooden area, it gives a feeling of claustrophobia and helplessness. The way the camera worked was quite impressive; making simple perspective views become a feeling of helplessness, close-ups to achieve emotion and pain. I was quite happy with the direction, but the film isn't perfect. The hunt seemed to have taken place in two days and there are some elements that I did find unconvincing such as when Jenny stayed put in the woods the first night instead of going for help and some scenes were a little heavy-handed.
Despite some flaws, "Eden Lake" does a LOT more things right than wrong. The plot while simple was an emotional roller-coaster, and I was very happy that the antagonists weren't "cardboard" genre characters and that they acted very human, however, brutal their actions were. The film's main strength is its humanity and the realistic approach to human terror. It also has a surprising element in the final act that is very bleak and sad (Reminded me of the South Korean thriller "The Chaser") and I applaud the writer in avoiding a perfunctory ending. It wasn't so much as surprising, but it just leaves a very sad and disturbing feeling behind. The film's ending is an expression of irony and pure wicked coincidental chance. Full of humanity and bleakness, "Eden Lake" delivers.
Highly Recommended! [4 ˝ Stars]
Steve and Jenny (Michael Fassbender and Kelly Reilly respectively) is a couple very much in love. They decide to spend the weekend in the wilderness to have some quality time, and unknown to Jenny, Steve plans on proposing. Their time together is broken up when they ran across a group of aggressive of local kids. Rowdiness turns to rage as the teenagers terrorize the couple in unimaginable ways and the weekend outing becomes a fight for survival.
I wasn't kidding when I said that the film's set up is full of cliché. At first impression, I was ready to tell myself that the film was just another thriller until I saw just how the direction slowly unfolded. Sure, there were some cheap scares and some dumb behavior in the part of the protagonists that I didn't exactly buy into in the beginning, but thankfully the script abandons the flaws. What really got me into the film is the fact that even though there is very minor character development in the beginning, you get to know Steve and Jenny through their horrific experiences. Other films such as "Them" and "The Strangers" tried but failed to make the audience "feel" for the characters' predicaments, to put them behind the eyes of the leads--this film does so very effectively because it carried a lot of emotional content.
The characters have their own feelings. Even the teenagers, despite their horrific deeds, aren't one-dimensional. These kids have emotions and their characteristics are displayed when they disagree, argue and have second thoughts. Brett (Jack O'Connell) is the group's leader and one may wonder as to how a young man such as this would be so without conscience. There is a subtle hint at abuse when Steve stumbled on their home and especially during the final act. The other members of the group offer some guilt and reluctance, but they were just so caught up in the moment or they were scared of Brett or for themselves.
I suppose the situation itself had driven the characters into such actions. I loved the way the director set everything up, it seemed as if unintentional reactions, dark coincidence and bad decisions enforced with rage were all the cause of the terrifying experience for Steve and Jenny. These teenagers are very angry, well, maybe two of them served as some light at the end of the tunnel, but the situation may have scared both the victims and the hunters. The film is definitely an emotional affair that I wouldn't really call this a 100% horror film, but more of a horrifying drama. There is some blood and very little gore, and it doesn't depend on those elements, but focuses more on the situation itself--which makes it more an emotional horror film, with a lot of visceral punch.
The performances are quite good, although Kelly Reilly may have stolen the show. Reilly is so convincing on the anger, fear and her reactions that I was genuinely touched by her plight. Steve's "proposal" adds some feeling of sympathy, but it doesn't end there. The teenagers were also very meshed together and managed to show a lot of humanity despite their unbecoming behavior, when I say humanity, I didn't mean the pleasant side--I meant the dark side.
The film's cinematography is very good and while all these things happen in a huge wooden area, it gives a feeling of claustrophobia and helplessness. The way the camera worked was quite impressive; making simple perspective views become a feeling of helplessness, close-ups to achieve emotion and pain. I was quite happy with the direction, but the film isn't perfect. The hunt seemed to have taken place in two days and there are some elements that I did find unconvincing such as when Jenny stayed put in the woods the first night instead of going for help and some scenes were a little heavy-handed.
Despite some flaws, "Eden Lake" does a LOT more things right than wrong. The plot while simple was an emotional roller-coaster, and I was very happy that the antagonists weren't "cardboard" genre characters and that they acted very human, however, brutal their actions were. The film's main strength is its humanity and the realistic approach to human terror. It also has a surprising element in the final act that is very bleak and sad (Reminded me of the South Korean thriller "The Chaser") and I applaud the writer in avoiding a perfunctory ending. It wasn't so much as surprising, but it just leaves a very sad and disturbing feeling behind. The film's ending is an expression of irony and pure wicked coincidental chance. Full of humanity and bleakness, "Eden Lake" delivers.
Highly Recommended! [4 ˝ Stars]
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Animal violence
I will say I thought this was a good overall thriller movie. A lot of animal violence which I didn't like. I know, I know.. Read more
Published 7 days ago by Danielle Gostanian
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brutal
A twisted gruesome film, there are a lot of scenes that will likely make you cringe. Very believable partly due to it based on actual events and largely because it seems without a... Read more
Published 8 days ago by Orion
3.0 out of 5 stars
Better than average but don't get hopes too high
(Spoiler) After reading the reviews about this movie my hopes were too high and I was let down. I kept reading about this shocking ending and how disturbing it was. Read more
Published 10 days ago by linh
3.0 out of 5 stars
OK
Another one of those not great not bad movies. Mildly entertaining enough to sit through with a bowl of popcorn.
Published 12 days ago by D. Kmitta
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good movie, but not enjoyable
...if that makes any sense. "Eden Lake" is a survival/horror/thriller from 2008 about an English couple who take a trip to a remote lake that the guy enjoyed when he was young. Read more
Published 16 days ago by Wuchak
5.0 out of 5 stars
This movie was amazing! A perfect combination of horror and suspense.
Very well done. I sat still and was captivated by each and every moment of this thrill ride. I highly recommend it!
Published 19 days ago by Steven L Mills
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brutal
Very nicely done flick. Checked it out on a recommendation and was surprised by it. Standard "cat and mouse" plot done with a little more intensity. Read more
Published 22 days ago by Arthur Dayne
5.0 out of 5 stars
A show about today's world....
Innocent couple meet a gang of kids that are out of control because it's easier for the parents to ignore them than to actually raise them....
Published 1 month ago by James L Witt
2.0 out of 5 stars
Eden Lake
Don't waste your money. I had such high hopes for this one. As in all movies you have those moments you can predict, but at least they were few and a couple even had enough of a... Read more
Published 1 month ago by krbbrk
1.0 out of 5 stars
watch paint dry before this
I cant believe I spent money on this insanely horrible movie. Honestly it wasnt bad as long as the female lead was fun to see, but once she was covered with mud and feces it was... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Carlos Ramirez
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