Review of In Fear (2013) by David P — 03 Apr 2014

IN FEAR.

The first cab off the rank at the Gold Coast Film Festival for me, which was also the first film in a Friday night horror marathon that included the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre in a brand new 4K digital presentation and Nurse 3D. All in all a fun night of viewing. But of the three, In Fear was the one I knew the least about. In fact next to nothing. Basically it is the story of a couple who get lost driving in the woods and can't find their way out, all the while being tormented by a mysterious presence. A simple premise that is sure to set up some tense moments and scares. And they try, really hard, to do just that, but don't quite pull it off. Unfortunately the film becomes way too predictable and the big 'twists' aren't really that big. The sense of being lost is there, but instead of being entertaining or making me feel scared with the characters, I was reminded of some frustrating dreams that I occasionally have where I cant back my car down the driveway or I'm lost in the supermarket. It actually made me annoyed. And this is basically the whole movie, this couple driving around, so very quickly I became bored. The couple also seem to start freaking out about being lost way too early in the piece. Saying all this the performances aren't horrible. The girl in the couple, Lucy, played by Alice Englert, is great and has a pair of gorgeous eyes that the director just loves getting close ups of. And the cinematography is pretty decent, a lot of the out of the car scenes using practical lighting and they get quite dynamic with the hundreds of in the car shots. Too bad it feels as dull as being stuck in a car on a long road trip. The script doesn't really go anywhere and the pay off in the end is disappointing. Despite some of the high points in filmmaking, In Fear feels like a bit of a chore to watch and isn't even in the 'so bad it's good' category. I do not recommend.

1/5.