In Fear

Dir: Jeremy Lovering

2013

*

I know many young aspiring actors start out making horror films but by 2013 I would have thought Iain De Caestecker and Alice Englert (or at least their agents) would have realized that a film like In Fear was below them. Easy work I guess but it is a blight on their portfolios. To be fair, De Caestecker had only been in Up There and Shell in his adult career, he was impressive in both but only had bit parts, In Fear was his first leading role. Alice Englert had made the impressive Ginger & Rosa but it was only released three months before, but still, I felt for the two brilliant young actors putting themselves through this ordeal. It was advertised as a 'psychological horror' which essentially means that one or more of the characters is irrational, paranoid and a scaredy cat basically. Fine if there was something to be scared of but being lost, near some woods, in the countryside is not scary. It's a tired old scenario, City folk go to the country and fear the locals want to kill them because people who don't live in cities are mainly bloodthirsty serial killers who would sooner rape and eat you than say hello (and they us City folk are rude!). In Fear doesn't give explanations, which is fine, most good horrors don't, they don't need to, but in In Fear's case it's because it probably wouldn't make any sense if they tried. 2013's Locke proved that with a great script, a good idea and a brilliant performance you could make a film that takes place entirely in a car, 2013's In Fear shows you shouldn't try unless you have talent. There is nothing scary about a man just standing still, Jeremy Lovering has delivered a horror/thriller devoid of any suspense, thrill, dread or feeling of terror. The only thing he got right (apart from casting the two lead actors) was the music but even then, you could simply listen to the soundtrack without watching the film and it would have the same effect. It's slow on the uptake, drags from the very beginning and has an alarmingly unsatisfactory climax. It fails in its simplicity when really it should have basked in it.