Eden Lake (Blu-Ray)

Eden Lake (Blu-Ray)



I'm sure you'll appreciate, having already read all my reviews, that I'm a big fan of British horror films. The real draw for me is the gritty realism we bring to the horror genre, making each death blow believable and therefore all the more scarier.

One such horror is Eden Lake. It's set on the outskirts of a northern rural town, where a disused quarry has been converted into the titular Lake. A young middle class couple, Steve and Abi (Michael Fassbender and Tara Ellis), decide to spend the weekend camping there.

After a prickly encounter with the locals at a bar, the pair spend the day lazing by the beautiful serene water.
Everything is perfect until a group of teenagers turn up with their stereo and Rottweiler to disturb the harmony. When Steve asks them politely to turn it down, he receives a torrent of abuse. A scene that isn't a million miles from everyday life.

The conflict escalates the next day though when the kids steal Steve's Range-Rover and take it for a joyride. When Steve politely (He's almost infuriatingly polite) asks for his car back, knives are drawn. In the tumult as Steve defends himself, the Rottweiler is stabbed in the throat. It is this incident that leads the gang of youths to grab Steve and bind him with barbed wire, while they each take turns at slicing him open.

Meanwhile, Abi is left torn between making her own escape and going back to save her boyfriend. The gang hunt for her, but soon she turns the tables on them.

The film ends in one of the most haunting and unexpected twists. If you think you know what's coming, then you're definitely wrong.

With a cast of almost unknowns this works even better as it reinforces the realism. The only face you'll likely recognize is Thomas Turgoose from This Is England. So there is no time for star spotting, just unrelenting violence and blood-letting.

The film suffers some low points, mainly in the first act, which seems to drag on too long. There is one implausible scene where Steve sneaks into one of the kids houses and nearly gets caught by the Dad. It would only happen in a film, which wrenches you out of the otherwise naturalistic story.

Touching a nerve with its topical subject, it's good to see that great British horror is still as strong as it's ever been.

As for the Blu-Ray version? It not only makes the Lakeside locale itself look superb, but if you're looking for visceral shots of gaping wounds - Watch it in HD.

Verdict 10/10
You'll never look at neds the same way again.