In Fear begins by understanding that young women can have a rough time out there. Ostensibly, the fear in this film comes from the idea of being lost in an unknown place. But in the first two acts, there is as much discomfort and terror drawn from the idea of being stuck in a car with a guy that you basically don’t know, completely beholden to his plans and whims. But the film doesn’t sustain that idea. It instead defaults to more familiar horror tropes, abandoning what was turning out to be a interesting take on what dating is really like.
Tom and Lucy (Iain De Caestecker and Alice Englert) met two weeks ago, and are now going together to a festival in Ireland. On the way there, they decide to spend the night at a secluded hotel deep in the woods. Once they get to the woods, however, the signs supposed to be pointing the way lead them in circles instead. They quickly get lost in the middle of this dense forest, and soon realize that they're not alone. There's someone out there messing with them. The cracks in this young relationship begin to show as the two succumb to the fear of the situation.
The film builds nicely, finding the tension in the lack of real familiarity between the two characters. The two are still feeling each other out, and this trip may as well be a test of how far they're going to go. Before the film even gets to the more familiar horror trappings, it builds a sense of unease by slowly revealing the risk inherent in getting to know someone new. And when things actually get dangerous, the true horror is in realizing that the two characters can’t really rely on each other. They don’t trust each other quite yet, and therefore lack the connection to be able to help each other through this difficult time.
It’s a thrilling concept pulled off reasonably well for the first couple of acts. The film makes effective use of its eerie forest setting, disorienting viewers with every turn. This is a low-budget film that gets a lot out of limited resources. But the film loses something as it comes to reveal its real threat. The internal tension is made external, and the somewhat potent metaphor that the film was building is lost as the violence becomes quite literal. The explanations that the film offers up are terribly underwhelming, and make the whole thing seem even more implausible than it already is.
The third act of the film is utterly deflating, though one can understand the choices being made. It does seem risky to keep the terror at the level of metaphor and psychology. But the film’s easy retreat to violence ends up feeling out of place. It already gains much from the simplicity of its concept. And the acting is much better in the scenes that simply depict the rough edges of this burgeoning relationship. Iain de Caestecker and Alice Englert are entirely recognizable as a new potential couple, their rhythms just slightly off sync, even as they make an effort to put up their best front.
In Fear squanders a lot of lovely build up. The film actually finds something intriguing in its early portions, building allegory in the same way that the best classic horror films do. But it doesn’t seem to trust that this is enough for modern horror audiences, and it begins to deliver the kind of scenes that are much more common today. And it ends up feeling rather lacking because of it. The final impression it leaves is of a film that just didn’t know how to end. It’s a real shame. For a while, the film was in real unknown territory. Its retreating to current norms is really disappointing.
My Rating:
