Just saw really good thriller tonight called In Fear which is set in the rural parts of Ireland. It’s a tight story that’s well shot and gripping - ratcheting up the tension rather quickly after an introductory prologue of sorts. It did well at Sundance it looks like. Not sure if it’s still in some theaters. Highly recommend it if you enjoy the genre and I’m curious to see what other people thought. I don’t want to spoil anymore than I have to as I think it works well knowing as little as possible.
Oh, you Americans. It’s not Ireland. It sounded Scottish to me, but it’s actually just that middle bit of Britain that they predictably call The Midlands. The stranger was played by an Irish actor, so there’s that. :)
I didn’t care much for it overall. I liked the cast. I like how much was unsaid, but overall I’m not sure it was making as much of a point as it thought it was making. I agree that it was shot well enough considering how little is ever actually visible. There’s only so much you can do with two people in the car at night. By the way, the “lost travelers” is practically its own genre, and the bar is really low. So in that regard, In Fear is pretty good. I kind of like one called Beneath the Dark.
The In Fear director, Jeremy Lovering, actually directed one of this season’s episodes of Sherlock!
-Tom
I’m chomping at the bit to see Witching and Bitching from one of my all time favorite makers of odd horror/thriller films, Alex de la Iglesia. But I’ll make sure to keep an eye for both of the films you folks mentioned above.
I guess I thought it was Ireland because of Allen Leech who I recognized from Downton Abbey. But the other two principal actors are from Scotland and New Zealand, so maybe I should I have paid more attention to the credits. I thought the movie fell apart near the end and the payoff right before the credits rolled seems very random. I also saw about 10 minutes of The Spirit in the Woods which is unrepentantly awful. I’ve got to learn to hold out until next week when all the Oscar-bait releases online. :)
I only know Day of the Beast, which I thought was kind of cute, but I don’t remember a lot of it. Help me become as much of a de la Iglesia fan as you! What do I need to see?
-Tom
The Last Circus. Run, don’t walk to Netflix. That movie alone pushed him into my favorite’s list. It alternates between looking like it was made by Raimi and Fellini. The fight at the end takes place on…well…just watch it.