Product Details

• Actors: Kelly Reilly, Michael Fassbender, Tara Ellis, Jack O'Connell, Finn Atkins
• Directors: James Watkins
• Writers: James Watkins
• Producers: Christian Colson, Conor McCaughan, Diarmuid McKeown, Ivana Mackinnon, Paul Ritchie
• Format: Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Weinstein Company
• DVD Release Date: January 6, 2009
• Run Time: 91 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001G9CNI6
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,926 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Eden Lake" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

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

Studio: Genius Products Inc Release Date: 01/06/2009

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the better Dimension Extreme movies., December 29, 2008

By 

Aaron Von Raschke - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eden Lake (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

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly good, January 26, 2009

By 

N. Durham "Big Evil" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eden Lake (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.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eden Lake is the kind of movie that once it gets its grip on you it will never let go, January 8, 2009

By 

Dave. K (Staten Island, Ny) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Eden Lake (DVD)

There's a lot of hype among the horror community regarding Eden Lake and going into it I wasn't sure what to expect. The idea of a couple being terrorized by teenagers didn't exactly strike fear into me. My first thought was give the little brats a time out. But after seeing Eden Lake I am a believer and all the hype regarding this movie is legit and very well worthy of the positive reviews. Eden Lake is the kind of movie that once it gets its grip on you it will never let go and just when you think the film won't cross that line it does and going into the movie you'll probably figure how the movie will end. But you will be wrong; the ending will leave you speechless.

This was the directorial debut for James Watkins and with Eden Lake in my opinion Watkins takes his place among the best ever directorial debuts in the horror genre. With Eden Lake, Watkins crafts a truly horrifying experience that relies more on suspense rather than violence, but with that said the violence in Eden Lake is quite shocking and unsettling because it feels so real. There's no killer who keeps coming back from the dead these are real people and the characters are so believable it's easy to get lost in the film.

The youth of this world is in many ways getting worse and worse; it seems like that is said about every generation, but I think in many ways it's true. There are a lot of good kids in the world, but more and more you hear about these stories about shocking violence and brutality and the person behind it is just a kid. And this problem isn't just in the United States or in the case of this movie the UK. This is a problem all over the world. This is a problem that can be stopped, while I do believe some people are born bad, but in many ways the problems are created by us as a society who ignore the problems, but than point fingers when something bad happens.

The screenplay was also written by James Watkins and the script was excellent. The two lead characters Jenny played by Kelly Reilly and Steve played by Michael Fassbender are excellent and sympathetic characters who are going away for the weekend and end up in a living hell. While Watkins may not break any new ground with his script, both Jenny and Steve are quite likeable and extremely sympathetic; these are two characters you can root for and when something bad happens you'll feel for them. As excellent as the script was, it's the directing by Watkins that elevates this movie.

Eden Lake starts off a bit slow, but in no ways boring. Watkins takes his time and sets up the characters, but he gives you this sense of looming danger. Right off the bat you pretty much get that feeling of dread. There are a couple of false starts where you think something is about to happen, but nothing comes about. But with these scenes James Watkins really sets up a great tone for things to come and when it finally does it's extremely dark and disturbing. James Watkins makes a movie that aims to shock and disturb and wow does he ever deliver.

While Eden Lake has its fair share of violence it's not really the actual act of the violence that is shocking, but the fact the villains are just teenagers. And like I said the fact Jenny and Steve are likeable that also adds to the shock value. The acts committed by these kids are quite sickening and disturbing. Once this movie gets going it never lets you go until the shocking finale. As you are watching Eden Lake you'll probably think you know how everything will play out, but I'm willing to bet that you will be dead wrong.

The suspense and feel of dread created by James Watkins is truly amazing and the fact he is able to sustain this tension through the whole movie shows you the level of talent this man has as a filmmaker. As I was watching the movie I had this sinking feeling the movie would run out of gas and limp towards the finish line, but I was wrong. The pacing is amazing and like I said once this movie gets you in its grip it never lets you go.

As I stated before the violence level is quite high, but again it's not the actual act of the violence so shocking it's the fact that the villains are kids. Like I said earlier in my review the thought of teenagers as the villains didn't strike me as something that would be scary, but I'll admit I was wrong. Brett played by Jack O'Connell is a repulsive and vile character and that is what makes this kid so frightening. After watching Eden Lake I think the fact that Brett was so young and doing these horrible acts is even scarier than if he was an adult.

All the performances in Eden Lake were top notch; Jack O'Connell is excellent and shows some great promise. I really hope to see more of this kid in the future. Kelly Reilly and Michael Fassbender are also excellent and their characters go through some really horrible things and the viewer will really feel for them. I've seen movies where the characters go through extreme levels of torture, but few characters have sparked so much emotion out of me. I think that's a mixture of the great performances from Reilly & Fassbender as well as the writing and directing by James Watkins.

Don't go into Eden Lake expecting a fun ride; this movie isn't a fun movie. It aims to disturb and it succeeds in that area that very few films before have. As you are watching Eden Lake you will probably like it, but after the movie ends and you think back to it that's where you realize the brilliance behind it. Eden Lake is in my opinion the best horror movie of 2008 and this one isn't to be missed.