Armed with a small budget and a skeleton cast of three, director Jeremy Lovering proves that less is most definitely more with his feature debut.
Despite only being together for a couple of months, Tom and Lucy (Iain De Caestecker and Alice Englert) brave a road trip together and head to a music festival in Ireland. As a special treat, Tom has booked a hotel for one night before the camping commences, which Lucy reluctantly agrees to. However, while trying to find the idyllic retreat, Tom and Lucy become lost in the labyrinthine countryside. Worse still, the couple begin to think that someone might be messing with them and watching their every move.
Deliverance, Straw Dogs nothing brings out the ugly side of man like the countryside. Beginning as a standard urbanite nightmare and taking a sharp turn into psychological territory, In Fear is a small but smart thriller where the heroes are taunted and tempted into violence by a menacing antagonist.
Taking a few pointers from Robert Harmon’s The Hitcher (1986), In Fear slowly cranks up the tension and takes a restrained walk on the wild side of the human psyche to see just how far someone can be pushed before they snap. Turns out it’s not that far at all.
Lovering’s film might be a little slow in its build-up but an excellent cast keeps things interesting and the director puts the pedal firmly to metal for the thrilling final act.
Overall Verdict: A taut, terrifying trip to the dark side.
Reviewer: Lee Griffiths