In Fear

One of the plus points about the UK having only minimal funds when it comes to producing films is that we produce many high quality horror films. In Fear can be added to this roll call of honour. Tom (Iain De Caestecker) and Lucy (Alice Englert) have only been dating for a couple of weeks when Tom invites her to a romantic weekend in Ireland, including a stay in a hotel located in the remote countryside. However, as the weather closes in and with the signs to the hotel sending them around in circles, the bonhomie between the couple quickly starts to dissipate. Then things turn even more serious when it appears that the (unseen) locals are preparing to turn a situation of helplessness into something a lot more serious indeed. First time director Jeremy Lovering makes the most of the minimal resources to hand, helping to tighten the screw from scene to scene with his use of tight facial close-ups, a score that goes from silent to thumping and mastering the art of what you can't see is psychologically more terrifying than what you can. Lovering helmed this in a smart manner, shooting chronologically and only providing his young cast with the script scene by scene. It pays off in spades with De Caestecker and Englert looking both physically and mentally lost, especially in a superb moment where Lucy suspects that Tom might be behind all the mayhem. It's clear that even Englert herself doesn't know who this man she's only just starting dating really is. This is (literally for the characters themselves) a white knuckle ride, but its the way Lovering builds that suspense which makes this such a cracking watch. From its subtle comments on relationships (everyone will be able to relate to the couples gentle bantering over map reading which soon turns into blatant annoyance) to a twist at the end which is a nasty surprise, this slowly engulfs you. On the minus side, if you go back and scrutinise the script you'll no doubt find plot holes galore and the ending defers to the modern approach of leaving things up in the air. At 85 minutes though you can't really go wrong and this high intensity thriller hints that in the form of Lovering we could another young star in the making behind the camera. Rating: 8/10.