In Fear

Bringing together elements of, and to varying degrees echoing film such as 'The Blair Witch Project', 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' and the fairly recent British nasties 'Kill List' and 'Eden Lake', director Jeremy Lovering brings us a tale of two people in an early days relationship getting lost in the woods. Relatively speaking, they are stranger to one another as well as to us, and one feels that in another writer/director's hands, this fact could have become more pertinent than it actually does here, which is a shame.

They are on their way to a music festival and are trying to find a hotel they are booked in at. Seems straightforward enough, right? Of course things don't go as planned; they find themselves driving in circles with no hotel to be seen. Next thing confusion and concern set in; as dusk draws close, the weather worsens, their fuel runs low, their map proves inaccurate, and the country roads they drive all begin to look the same, we are invited to feel the very real fear most of us can relate to, and it must be said in this at least, the film proves extremely effective. Indeed, the first hour or so of 'In Fear' had me gripped and actually feeling something I don't often have the pleasure of when watching a horror/thriller on my own: Genuinely spooked. The performances are reasonable and the tension nicely handled; Lovering's ability to generate palpable horror from a simple scenario and drag it out for quite so long IS impressive.

It is a shame, then, that when the time comes for the film to play its hand a little more, the tension is released and we enter a world of silliness; the reasoning for the situation arising in the first place and its justification seem flimsy. Shattered is the hope that we were going to be dealing with loftier themes of existential fear and relationships, or even something more down to earth and rooted in an important social element, ala 'Eden Lake'; the last twenty minutes takes a direction a lot more simple and I daresay boring, given the promise of the previous acts.

This guy will make a better film than this in future, but for now, this is a reasonable shot at something compelling, even if it falters in the last act. Worth a watch for the promise it makes with its fist hour.

I don't mind weird when it's done well. Take something from David Lynch or the new UK king of weird Ben Wheatley and it can be mesmerising despite unexplained parts of the plot or mysterious characters. In Fear writer and director Peter Lovering looks to have taken this approach but has got it badly wrong. Many people have already mentioned the holes in the plot, its like a blooming Swiss cheese. Just imagine you have been attacked by a crazee wearing a mask only to escape to the car and race off down the road and then hit someone. would you a( Stop and go back to check if the person is alright or b)get the hell out of there? You guessed it, our intrepid hero and heroin go back. Ridiculous. A man and a woman in a car get the lost in the Irish countryside and strange things happen apparently because of a spilt drink in a pub. The end defies description never mind explanation. Watchable though.

First of all, the acting in this movie is pretty darn good, but other than that i can't give it any other merits. The dialogue and the way the characters act makes it so unbelievable that the movie becomes painful to watch. It's hard to become immersed when you are screaming at the characters to be smart for a few seconds. The plot is so full of holes and boring that it feels like you just want it to end after a half hour. the setting is perfect for the horror genre, unfortunately there is no horror, not even any suspense. Nothing ever changes in this movie so you feel like one scene is constantly on repeat. The whole movie feels as though it's stuck in it's first five minutes and nothing gives this movie the nudge it needs to become truly frightening. I really can not recommend this movie to anyone because it has nothing positive from any genre out there. This movie is a pass.

The reactions at the Frightfest in London where this was playing were ranging from "liked" to "totally hated it". There weren't too many people who were completely taken aback by the story (if you can call it that). Two people in a car and "absolute fear". Or something like that. It has its fair share of moments and I wouldn't say it's a waste of time to watch. But I'm pretty sure many people will get fed up with the characters and the twists.

There should've been a little more work on the script and there might have been better dialog and better overall options. The shooting style is optimal for low budget and it did suit the movie. But it didn't elevate it enough to make it something that will stand out. "Them" and a few other horror gems have done terror in a far better way. With characters the viewer is actually rooting for

It's astonishing how they manage to induce terror with just a couple of actors, a car, rainy weather, and the wilderness. This is a case of low-budget filmmaking done well. Jeremy Lovering is an Edgar Wright collaborator, and his frame choices (with plenty of close-ups of the protagonists' worried faces) instantly draw you into the film. The score is also quite effective and adds to the creepy mood. The plot presents a total nightmare for folks who suffer from panic attacks - travel horror may not be a genre recommended for those people. The storyline progression is somewhat questionable, but the pacing remains apt.

The first key jumpscare happens at an unexpected juncture, and I think the film deserves some points on that front. The entry of the third character deflates the tension to some extent, yet the performances (of all three) keep you invested. Even from a psychological horror standpoint, the plausibility of certain developments lack finesse especially towards the end of the film. Nonetheless, I think it's a solid exercise in building tension and the atmospherics really add to that. If you liked Dead End, there's a good chance you'll savour this one too.