About Eden Lake (2008) 
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).
Starring: Kelly Reilly, Michael Fassbender, Tara Ellis, Jack O’Connell, Finn Atkins
Directed by: James Watkins
Runtime: 91 minutes
Studio: Dimension Extreme
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Review: Eden Lake
James Watkins’ horror thriller sees couple Jenny (Kelly Reilly) and Steve (Michael Fassbender) drive to a remote lake for a romantic weekend. However, they don’t count on a gang of youths who they encounter on more than occasion before Steve eventually snaps. What began as a pleasant weekend turns into the worst possible nightmare when the youths turn violent and pursue Jenny and Steve throughout dense woodland.
There are echoes of Deliverance at the start of the film with Jenny and Steve finding the locals are a close-knit community. A waitress observes the couple being pestered by youths and bikes but when they try to cite the problems they have faced, the waitress turns defensive and simply insists no child of hers would cause trouble. Jenny and Steve camp on the shores of a idyllic lake but the gang of youths led by Brett (Jack O’Connell) appear, playing music loudly and when Steve tries to confront them he is laughed at. Brett resorts to typical adolescent behaviour, staring at Jenny’s breasts through binoculars and then pulling out his penis as he walks by. It seems like typical teenagers but Brett leads his friends further. They steal Steve’s car and nearly run the couple over. The film takes a dark turn when Steve finds and confronts them again, demanding his keys back. Brett denies having them, a knife is pulled, arguments begin and a dog owned by Brett is accidentally stabbed and killed. Brett gives the keys back but immediately plunges Steve and Jenny into a cat and mouse chase with violence at the forefront of the gang’s minds.
The frightening thing about Eden Lake is such an incident could happen very easily. I can only speak for the UK but there are teenage gangs out there that have beaten and killed people who have confronted them, filmed such attacks on their phones and made many neighbourhoods into a living hell for so many residents. The youths in this film are out to cause trouble but it’s the level of violence that they descend to which makes it worse. Steve is made to suffer at the hands of the gang and Jenny also endures a horrific ordeal. I found I had no pity for the teenagers whenever Jenny and Steve fought back. The film has some gruesome moments which may be too much for some people. The conclusion is as gritty and hard-hitting as the rest of the film. This is a short experience and although well-executed in places I found it fairly standard in quality.
Eden Lake is an unwanted reminder of what some British youths are capable of. The society I belong to seems to be one where most keep their heads down and don’t want any trouble. This is one of many examples why it’s sadly best to not speak up at times, even if it’s to a gang of young teenagers.
Verdict: 3/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Eden Lake | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
