Eden Lake (2008)

Refusing to let anything spoil their romantic weekend break, a young couple confront a gang of loutish youths with terrifyingly brutal consequences.

Director:

James Watkins

Writer:

James Watkins

Stars:

Kelly Reilly, Michael Fassbender, Tara Ellis

9 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kelly Reilly	...	Jenny
Michael Fassbender	...	Steve
Tara Ellis	...	Abi
Jack O'Connell	...	Brett
Finn Atkins	...	Paige
Jumayn Hunter	...	Mark
Thomas Turgoose	...	Cooper
James Burrows	...	Harry
Tom Gill	...	Ricky (as Thomas Gill)
Lorraine Bruce	...	Tanya
Shaun Dooley	...	Jon
James Gandhi	...	Adam
Bronson Webb	...	Reece
Lorraine Stanley	...	Nat
Rachel Gleaves	...	Mel

Storyline

Nursery teacher Jenny and her boyfriend Steve, escape for a romantic weekend away. Steve, planning to propose, has found an idyllic setting: a remote lake enclosed by woodlands and seemingly deserted. The couple's peace is shattered when a gang of obnoxious kids encircles their campsite. Reveling in provoking the adults, the gang steals the couple's belongings and vandalizes their car leaving them completely stranded. When Steve confronts them, tempers flare and he suffers a shocking and violent attack. Fleeing for help, Jenny is subject to a brutal and relentless game of cat-and-mouse as she desperately tries to evade her young pursuers and find her way out of the woods.

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Plot Keywords:

lake | forest | camping | husband wife relationship | british horror | 

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Taglines:

A weekend by the lake, with views to die for.

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong brutal violence, pervasive language, some nudity and brief drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [UK]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 September 2008 (UK)

Also Known As:

Little Terrors

Filming Locations:

Black Park Lake, Black Park, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£192,027 (United Kingdom), 14 September 2008, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,824, 2 November 2008, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$5,824, 2 November 2008

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rollercoaster Films,Aramid Entertainment Fund

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS (5.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

[All trivia items for this title are spoilers.]

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Goofs

Throughout the movie the amount of blood and dirt on Jenny and Steve can change instantly. An example is when Jenny and Steve are hiding underneath the wooden hut (in the lake.) In one shot Steve's chin dips into the lake and this causes his chin to become mostly clean from dried blood and dirt. But in the next shot all the dried blood and dirt is suddenly back covering his entire face.

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Quotes

Brett: Follow the blood!

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Connections

References Scarface (1983)

User Reviews

Crackingly realistic UK 'chav' horror

From start to finish this film is a masterclass in confronting our views on revenge and on how we choose which 'side' to be on in any given situation.

The two adult leads are almost immediately plunged into a nightmare where children have the upper hand and where respect for adults is thrown out of the window yet the adults still view the amoral, feral youth as children (at least initially).

Eden Lake plays as virtually a documentary of Britain in 2008 and as a film gives us a stark reflection of what is happening in this country today. The only difference being that Eden Lake takes place in the countryside while the real violence in the UK takes place on our city streets.

James Watkins has managed to create real tension, real suspense and some real terror in his directorial debut. So many UK horror films come with great expectations and so many fail, but with Eden Lake, Watkins has crafted a contemporary film that is instilled with the nastiness and vicious spirit of 70s/early 80s horror such as 'Last House on the Left'.

Disturbing, challenging, thought provoking and downright electrifying in places, this is one of the best horror films of the past few years and one of the best British films this decade.