Eden Lake

Name: Eden Lake
Genre: Thriller, Crime
Released: October 31, 2008
Duration: 91 min
Rating: 65

2008

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 7 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 102 Ratings

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6.5

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6.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 102 Ratings

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Eden Lake

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Movie Details & Credits

Weinstein Company, The | Release Date: October 31, 2008 | R

Summary: Primary school teacher Jenny and her boyfriend Steve head out of London for a weekend at a beautiful secluded lake. However, when the couple encounter rowdy and volatile group of teenagers, the romantic trip takes a sinister and deadly turn... (Optimum Releasing)

Director: James Watkins

Genre(s): Thriller, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 91 min

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Critic Reviews

The Guardian Peter Bradshaw

Seriously bloody horrible in every particular, and uncompromisingly bleak to the very end, this looks to me like the best British horror film in years: nasty, scary and tight as a drum. Read full review

Time Out London Nigel Floyd

The shattering downbeat ending is well earned and genuinely shocking. Read full review

Empire Simon Crook

You don't watch it, you survive it. A battering experience, and the hardest Brit horror in years. Read full review

Luke Y. Thompson

As a thriller, Eden Lake absolutely works, but feel-good entertainment it isn’t. Don’t bring a date. Read full review

Dennis Harvey

Eden Lake doesn't feel like torture porn so much as a rural-jeopardy thriller in extremis. Read full review

The Telegraph Tim Robey

This slice of class-baiting British ordeal horror from writer-director James Watkins is potently made. It's also exploitative trash, serving up silly levels of alarmist editorialising about kids today. Read full review

Ray Bennett

Eden Lake has the trappings of a low-IQ thriller but it's really a contemptible tract feeding the prejudices of the U.K.'s rightwing tabloids that claim the country is overrun by teenagers wielding knives. Read full review

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User Reviews

GrantZ

Aug 18, 2009

Brutal, well-acted and terrifying at times. This film makes you think twice before going camping in the middle of nowhere. The killers are kids for gods sake. They're horrible, if i was stuck in sometihng like that, i'd run them over. Some parts make you cringe, and some cry, the Brutal, well-acted and terrifying at times. This film makes you think twice before going camping in the middle of nowhere. The killers are kids for gods sake. They're horrible, if i was stuck in sometihng like that, i'd run them over. Some parts make you cringe, and some cry, the ending will definitely affect you. IT'S EVIL!!!!… Expand

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Delboy504

Dec 8, 2014

Eden Lake, watched for the second time and still looks great.
Most men and I suspect a lot of women will find the actions of the main characters frustrating.
Why go into a restricted area in the first place, why park your car a long way from where you want to be and why stick around unlessEden Lake, watched for the second time and still looks great.
Most men and I suspect a lot of women will find the actions of the main characters frustrating.
Why go into a restricted area in the first place, why park your car a long way from where you want to be and why stick around unless you intend to really make a stand for yourself.
Later in the film both main characters again seem to lose useful weapons such as a heavy stick and a large spanner, plus why go to such a remote area and put yourself and your best girl in a possible compromising situation?
Great film, very violent, excellently played by all the cast and I am sure a lot of peoples worst nightmare.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

deli000

Jan 15, 2022

If you can suspend your disbelief - that this film's cast of villains is exaggerated and borderline comical - then this film will leave you shaken to the core with its succulent doses of tensity.

The film follows Michael Fassbender and Kelly Reilly acting it out as a couple looking to spendIf you can suspend your disbelief - that this film's cast of villains is exaggerated and borderline comical - then this film will leave you shaken to the core with its succulent doses of tensity.

The film follows Michael Fassbender and Kelly Reilly acting it out as a couple looking to spend time together in a secluded lake. They arrive there, seeking to relax, and for Fassbender's character, it is the perfect time for him to push their relationship further with a special plan. As with other horror films of this nature, the couple's romantic trip derails quickly into violence as their collision with a group of teenagers (led by Brett, played by Jack O'Connell) fuels a fight for survival.

Eden Lake operates on the same fundamental level as its contemporaries, fulfilling its role as dirty violence. The film is tense, gory, and conclusively upsetting, but that's what makes it work so well. Forget about moral complications and deeper thematic constructs. Maybe there's something interesting here with the way it tackles the moral decay of the working class and its unchecked youth. It's clear, however, that the film is less concerned with its ideas and is more geared towards serving a fine slasher horror. And that's where its strength lies.

It's fun to have a film that can be both delicious in its bloody imagery and utterly dreadful in its bleak story. Kelly Reilly gives out a performance that allows much of the film's straightforward plot to remain engaging, as her role as the girlfriend leaves a memorable portrayal of one's thirst for survival. It's Reilly's performance that evokes an appeal that compliments O'Connell's unrelenting brutality. At the end of the day, the film is strictly linear in regards to following a conventional formula. But sometimes, it's all you need for this type of work. Besides, it is tightly executed and provides an explosive ending.

If anything, Eden Lake packs a delicious sucker punch to the stomachs of its audience. And that - is good enough.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

rotku

May 20, 2012

Stylish thriller/horror which starts slowly but builds into a mix between Straw Dogs and Hostel. Some moments of human stupidity under stress do detract from the fluidity at times. It is however graphic and entertaining.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JayH

Dec 25, 2008

Very gruesome, but also very compelling. Tense British horror film, good acting, great pace. Very good score and cinematography. The brutality of the film gets to you after awhile.

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bartcbem

Nov 13, 2019

Absolutely gruesome, devastating and depressing picture. While it is very competently made and great acted (especially by Kelly Reilly) there is no beam of light or hope in it. It will left the viewer absolutely gutted. But what for? The movie would still hold its commentary withoutAbsolutely gruesome, devastating and depressing picture. While it is very competently made and great acted (especially by Kelly Reilly) there is no beam of light or hope in it. It will left the viewer absolutely gutted. But what for? The movie would still hold its commentary without devastating ending.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

nonaste

Sep 23, 2019

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. God awful, depressing movie where good people die and the psycho gets away with it. Maybe this is a more accurate portrayal of the reality of life but I for one hate this kind of movie. I want to be entertained. I want the good guys to come out on top and I really want the a#@ holes to really pay for their actions. If you want that as well then stay the hell away from this flick.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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