Dir. James Watkins | Now Streaming On: Tubi | Rating: 2/5

Hey Siri, play Teenagers by My Chemical Romance. Sometimes I miss being 16 and other times I’m watching Eden Lake and trying not to vomit all over my living room. Eden Lake came highly recommended by you all and it was quite the experience. ⁠
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It’s no secret that this film is a political piece on the fear of societal decay and the failure of the government. And as a political piece, this is nauseatingly over the top and tone deaf. To echo another review which labeled this a “demonization of the poor,” this film essentially claims that systematic poverty and abuse breeds psychopaths. And as a public health major, I’m here to confirm that not only is that untrue, it’s laughable.⁠
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Eden Lake goes there and takes you along for the ride whether you like it or not. I struggled on how to categorize and rate this film. Did this succeed in making me uncomfortable? Yes, absolutely. Is it anything more than an exploitation film? Debatable. Eden Lake pushes buttons by utilizing children as the main antagonists. And we’re not talking Children of the Corn weird religious kids. We’re talking torturous, psychopathic, feral teenagers. Not only is this gore brutal and in your face, but it’s being perpetrated by children. That tire scene? Too much for me, I’ll be honest. ⁠
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Beyond its political goals, Eden Lake grapples with the idea of whether killers are born or created. This theme is touched upon in almost every major horror franchise so it takes a lot to stand out with this messaging. Though it has its strong points of thrills and pushing the envelope, its paperthin storyline and archetypal characters don’t deliver a strong enough message for me to overlook the sheer amount of exploitation in this. ⁠
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I feel like if you’re a devout horror watcher and you haven’t seen Eden Lake, add it to your watchlist just for the experience. But casual watchers should definitely avoid this. ⁠

Video review below!
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Know Before You Watch: Features death, gore, blood, animal death. ⁠