A Disturbing Nightmare: Returning to ‘Eden Lake’ 16 Years Later

Here in the US, James Watkins’ directorial debut Eden Lake went straight to DVD and was distributed by Dimension Films. Of all the titles to fly under the Dimension Extreme banner though, this one was the most deserving. The movie turned out to be more of an endurance test than I could have ever anticipated. Eden Lake also manages to be both acclaimed and despised. Anyone who knows what became of Michael Fassbender and Kelly Reilly’s characters very well understands the mixed sentiments surrounding this movie.

British horror was struggling to hold on after the original closure of Hammer and the Video Nasties period, yet by the early 2000s, a revival had begun. It was as if the reluctance to do genre movies had been replaced with a kind of fever. Dog Soldiers, My Little Eye, Deathwatch, 28 Days Later, Shaun of the Dead, Creep, The Descent. There was now this flood of horror not seen since the ‘70s. And perhaps in a bid to compete with the general intensity of France’s New Extremity, these newer Brit horrors were not all Gothic houses and ghosts. On the contrary, the aughts had an increasing penchant for physical menace, special effects, and sharp violence.

Eden Lake might have been trying to match the bite force of its French contemporaries, such as High Tension, or maybe it wanted to show up overseas movies like Hostel and Saw, but Watkins was also reflecting the times. In more ways than one, of course. Not only had all horror started to push the envelope, there was a discernible uptick in cruelty. The ‘00s output, by and large, was excessive when it came to brutality. Filmmakers had turned the destruction of the human body into an artform.

So why does Eden Lake leave a bad taste in the mouth, despite its peers having similar mean streaks? Well, this movie’s timing was as opportune as it was poor. As I had learned through horror movies like Eden Lake, the ubiquitous hoodie was under fire in the UK due to their perceived connection to criminality and antisocial behavior. The 2000s-era political movement to curb freedoms of hoodies’ primary demographic, namely youth, was met with criticism; Conservative David Cameron claimed the fashion choice was “more defensive than offensive” and wearers required “a lot more love.” However, his “hug-a-hoodie” speech missed the mark, especially when a certain picture — a hooded photobomber waved a finger-gun while standing behind an unaware Cameron — made the headlines. You can imagine how this was perceived and weaponized by the media and public. Not too long after, the most well-known hoodie horror movie was then released. And to some folks, Eden Lake did more harm than good by validating irrational fears.

Horror has a tendency to be the most informed of its surroundings — culturally, socially, politically — as well as transparent with its messaging. So when a movie like Eden Lake delivers a story about reprobates menacing affluent tourists, especially during the midst of Hoodie Panic, then it’s understandable that audiences would feel confused. On the surface is a not-so-standard thriller that is thoroughly gripping. Watkins successfully channeled classic rural British horrors, like And Soon the Darkness and Straw Dogs, and adjusted the ferocity for modern times. The story’s refusal to show mercy or hold back sets it apart from all the so-called “torture porn” coming out in those days.

Revisiting Eden Lake poses a challenge, even now knowing what to expect. Maybe more so. That awful sequence of Steve (Fassbender) suffering unduly at the hands of his teenage killers (led by the magnetic and fierce Jack O’Connell) is shorter than remembered, but waiting for it to end still feels like an eternity. There was this trend of making the victims of 2000s horror movies intentionally obnoxious so that their gruesome deaths would be more entertaining. In that same vein, Watkins indeed painted Steve to be snobbish and incapable of picking his battles; he could have left and gone elsewhere. But truly, was any of that grounds for death? Absolutely not. And not a swift and painless death, either. No, Steve realizes he’s not long for this world once he finds himself bleeding “gut blood.” Prolonging that agony is equally effective and fiendish on the director’s part.

Taken at face value, Eden Lake is yet another graphic battle between locals and outsiders. Digging deeper and taking the peripheral Hoodie Panic into full account, the movie is a politically charged piece of exploitation. The story does more than update the violence of vintage rural horror; it also modifies the villains. Instead of the usual countryside and backwoods killers, there are now “chavs” hunting down the middle and upper classes. In his book Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class, political activist, journalist and author Owen Jones went so far as to say movies like Eden Lake encouraged people to be afraid of the working class. And based on the reactions across the pond, some Brits accepted the movie’s portrayal as truth.

It would be remiss to not bring up why Eden Lake doesn’t encourage rewatches. As you might guess, I am referring to the movie’s ending. After Fassbender’s character is removed from the story altogether, Jenny (Reilly) takes over. She’s been set up to be the survivor since the beginning. And like all the final girls before her, Jenny defeats her attackers and finds refuge. Unfortunately, Jenny’s safety and our relief are both fleeting, because her saviors are none other than the parents of the teens she just slaughtered. And like the scary monsters they are thought to be, the parents take matters into their own hands and do to Jenny what their kids did to Steve. That type of ending is much too bleak, even for this one desensitized viewer.

Whether or not it meant to, Eden Lake fed into the idea of a Broken Britain. The belief that the UK was suffering from social decay. Yet depending on whatever side of the Atlantic you happen to be situated on, the political context may not even matter. To the more casual and unaffected viewer, Eden Lake is, quite simply, a viscerally unkind movie. One that exceeds the limits of its own genre.

James Watkins’ new horror movie, Speak No Evil, is now available on Digital.

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Horrors Elsewhere is a recurring column that spotlights a variety of movies from all around the globe, particularly those not from the United States. Fears may not be universal, but one thing is for sure — a scream is understood, always and everywhere.

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