31 Days Of Hallowe’en: Eden Lake (2008)

Welcome to JOE's 31 Days Of Hallowe'en. For each and every day of October, we'll be bringing you a horror movie to tuck into for the lead up to the big night. It could be new, old, an undiscovered gem, or a classic you'll have seen a thousand times. No matter what it is, we guarantee you that it is brilliant, and it is SCARY.

For Day 7, we'll looking back over 2008's insanely grim psychological thriller, Eden Lake. "A weekend by the lake, with views to die for." Some horror movies are great because you want to watch them over and over again because they're so much fun. They're just brainless and entertaining and more like a ghost-train ride than anything you're likely to lose any sleep over. And then there are the horror movies on the other end of the spectrum, the scary films that are so brilliantly traumatising that all you're left with are harrowing memories of knowing that the movie is great, but also wanting it to end so you can put on a few episodes of Rick & Morty so that you can maybe trick your brain into going to sleep happy. Eden Lake definitely falls into the former category. Clip via horrornymphs Michael Fassbender and Kelly Reilly play a loving couple who go on a romantic weekend away together to an isolated lake, and while trying to enjoy some relaxing sun-bathing, they get disrupted by a group of loud youths. When Fassbender heads over and asks the lads to turn the music down, their "leader" (played by a young Jack O'Connell) gives him the cold shoulder, but instead of leaving things there, everything quickly goes from bad to worse, and the couple find themselves suddenly fighting for their lives. There is no other way to say it, Eden Lake is GRIM. It isn't a fun movie to watch, never giving you the catharsis you might be hoping for from a "fun" horror movie. Instead it pummels you into a constant anxiety attack, as the all-too-real scares pile on one after another until you're just desperate for the film to end. A brilliant movie, but one to watch just the once, we reckon. Check out our previous recommendations below: Day 1 - The Omen Day 2 - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Day 3 - The Ring Day 4 - The Invitation Day 5 - Scream 2 Day 6 - It Follows