Eden Lake

Brats! I also give the film three average stars for the fact that this (more or less) variation on Peckinpah's classic Straw Dogs moves along quickly and for the excellent Kelly Reilly, whom I knew only from her "cool" costume roles in Pride and Prejudice or Sherlock Holmes. But that's all I was captivated by in Eden Lake. It didn't even scare me. (25/07/2011)

I would describe Eden Lake as a similar derivative of Estonia's The Class, with a point opposite to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. As with The Class, this film kept me wondering throughout if this was possible – where the hell is justice. The harsh fact is that this is what happens, and more and more often, which is as startling as the ending of the film. And one of the final phrases, that they are just kids, is as shocking as the brutal practices of the teenagers in the film. In short, a film that I can understand some will cover their eyes at, but for me it stood up pretty solidly as a representative of "one of the most provocative and terrifying films of the year." (08/04/2011)

A trip to a lake turns into a fight for survival when a loving couple pisses off a bunch of local teenagers. An unoriginal but very impressive and suspenseful film that people with weaker stomachs may not be able to handle, but fans of the British new wave of horror will definitely be very satisfied. (20/11/2008)

Poor old Michael Fassbender makes a fatal mistake and takes Dr. Watson’s wife on a trip to a lake. To a lake in Britain. Toa lake in Britain where youths are playing youthful games. Despite a couple of weird things about the behavior of the characters (even though, let’s face it, people are fundamentally idiots and don’t behave logically, especially where emotions are involved) and a couple of weird situations, this is an excellent example of how things can go really frickin’ (“mind your language") wrong. No shortage of brutality and the ending is a lot to take. Powerlessness... a loss of morale, conscience and rules. Americans can go jump in a dumpster with their would-be survival horrors and thrillers. (25/12/2011)

"The Lake of Death" is a very intense experience that cannot be recommended to everyone, because it is simply not suitable for the faint-hearted. Yes, towards the end, it becomes a bit too exaggerated and perhaps unnecessarily concludes the way it does, but as long as the film takes place in the forest, it is truly oppressive and intense. People are monsters, and even though the film is purely fiction, you easily realize that something similar could happen. Justice is only presumed, only family exists, and it's an eye for an eye. Overall, a dark message. (06/11/2014)