In Fear
3/4
Starring: Iain De Caestecker, Alice Englert
Rated R for Some Disturbing Violent Content and Terror, and for Language
Ask anyone who knows me, and I can guarantee you they will agree on (at least) one thing: I am terrible with directions. I get lost so easily, and making matters worse, that's my biggest phobia. That's probably the main reason why I responded to "In Fear," a largely improvised horror film. That, and it has some terrific performances doesn't hurt at all.
Tom (De Caestecker) and Lucy (Englert) are going to meet some friends at a concert in Ireland. They have been dating for two weeks, but are comfortable with one another. As a romantic gesture, Tom arranges for them to spend the night at an out of the way motel and head to the concert tomorrow. Lucy agrees, and a truck from the hotel agrees to guide them. He ditches them halfway, and it isn't long before the two are lost. And that's when the real terror starts.
"In Fear's" closest cousin is "The Descent," although that's a pretty big stretch. This is a largely psychological horror film, much as the first hour of Neil Marshall's masterpiece was. Aside from the mental stresses that are transported to the audience, the film's are almost entirely different (a closer cousin would be "Penny Dreadful"). There is also a reference to "Wrong Turn," although considering how low profile that film was (it made $28.5 million against a $12.6 million budget...not exactly record-breaking numbers), I have to wonder whether or not it was intentional.
The acting is terrific. Iain De Caestecker is pitch perfect as Tom. He's handsome, friendly, and charming. The film opens with him leaving two voicemails asking Lucy to the concert; halfway through the first one, I was ready to follow him anywhere. If every horror movie had a guy this likable, I'd watch a lot more of them (and I already watch plenty). Alice Englert isn't at the same level, but she's pretty good. She just can't match the level of her co-star.
For a horror movie, which isn't a genre known for its good performances (remember "Strangeland?"), this would be impressive. For a movie that's almost completely improvised, that's amazing. The film is more or less unscripted. Director Jeremy Lovering had the story idea worked out, but he didn't tell that to the actors. They only had two weeks to rehearse (just as Tom and Lucy were only dating for two weeks) in order to generate the appropriate chemistry. What this adds to the proceedings, I'm not sure, since it seems like a regular, old-fashioned chiller (albeit a very good one), I don't know. It lacks the sense of innovation that "The Blair Witch Project" and "Cloverfield" had. Regardless, far be it for me to complain about a horror film that manages to scare me.
Alas, the film isn't as good as it could have been. For one thing, Lovering isn't good at framing some of his shots. When a shocking moment happens, I wouldn't have realized it without the sudden, loud music. The characters do some obviously stupid things, and while that's a given in this genre, I still wanted to shout, "You're being a moron!" at the characters. A movie like "The Descent" or "Sinister" will have you too freaked out to think like that. The film also strains credulity to the breaking point a few times, and breaks it at the film's biggest scene.
All that being said, if you're looking for a new movie to shred your nerves, here's another movie to add to your Netflix queue. Especially if you have a tendency to get lost.
Starring: Iain De Caestecker, Alice Englert
Rated R for Some Disturbing Violent Content and Terror, and for Language
Ask anyone who knows me, and I can guarantee you they will agree on (at least) one thing: I am terrible with directions. I get lost so easily, and making matters worse, that's my biggest phobia. That's probably the main reason why I responded to "In Fear," a largely improvised horror film. That, and it has some terrific performances doesn't hurt at all.
Tom (De Caestecker) and Lucy (Englert) are going to meet some friends at a concert in Ireland. They have been dating for two weeks, but are comfortable with one another. As a romantic gesture, Tom arranges for them to spend the night at an out of the way motel and head to the concert tomorrow. Lucy agrees, and a truck from the hotel agrees to guide them. He ditches them halfway, and it isn't long before the two are lost. And that's when the real terror starts.
"In Fear's" closest cousin is "The Descent," although that's a pretty big stretch. This is a largely psychological horror film, much as the first hour of Neil Marshall's masterpiece was. Aside from the mental stresses that are transported to the audience, the film's are almost entirely different (a closer cousin would be "Penny Dreadful"). There is also a reference to "Wrong Turn," although considering how low profile that film was (it made $28.5 million against a $12.6 million budget...not exactly record-breaking numbers), I have to wonder whether or not it was intentional.
The acting is terrific. Iain De Caestecker is pitch perfect as Tom. He's handsome, friendly, and charming. The film opens with him leaving two voicemails asking Lucy to the concert; halfway through the first one, I was ready to follow him anywhere. If every horror movie had a guy this likable, I'd watch a lot more of them (and I already watch plenty). Alice Englert isn't at the same level, but she's pretty good. She just can't match the level of her co-star.
For a horror movie, which isn't a genre known for its good performances (remember "Strangeland?"), this would be impressive. For a movie that's almost completely improvised, that's amazing. The film is more or less unscripted. Director Jeremy Lovering had the story idea worked out, but he didn't tell that to the actors. They only had two weeks to rehearse (just as Tom and Lucy were only dating for two weeks) in order to generate the appropriate chemistry. What this adds to the proceedings, I'm not sure, since it seems like a regular, old-fashioned chiller (albeit a very good one), I don't know. It lacks the sense of innovation that "The Blair Witch Project" and "Cloverfield" had. Regardless, far be it for me to complain about a horror film that manages to scare me.
Alas, the film isn't as good as it could have been. For one thing, Lovering isn't good at framing some of his shots. When a shocking moment happens, I wouldn't have realized it without the sudden, loud music. The characters do some obviously stupid things, and while that's a given in this genre, I still wanted to shout, "You're being a moron!" at the characters. A movie like "The Descent" or "Sinister" will have you too freaked out to think like that. The film also strains credulity to the breaking point a few times, and breaks it at the film's biggest scene.
All that being said, if you're looking for a new movie to shred your nerves, here's another movie to add to your Netflix queue. Especially if you have a tendency to get lost.
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