A horror film that shocked audiences nearly 20 years ago is terrifying viewers again, and its director is now pushing back against “torture porn” claims.
In 2008, James Watkins released his directorial debut, Eden Lake, which stars Kelly Reilly and Michael Fassbender as a couple hoping for a quiet weekend getaway at a remote lake.
But their romantic plans are shattered when they are confronted, and ultimately hunted, by a gang of violent teenagers.
Now available on streaming services 18 years after its original release, the film is once again making audiences squirm.
One X user wrote: "Eden Lake isn’t “T*rture P*rn,” says the director - yet it leaves viewers shaken. Many felt sick, angry, and hollow after watching the film."
Another user penned that while they are "desensitized to most things," Eden Lake "genuinely f***ed me up. It’s a great film, but incredibly harrowing and definitely not for the faint of heart. I’ll never watch this again lol."
A third person wrote: "Think I've just seen the scariest film I've ever seen," before warning others: "I feel sick. Don't watch it."
A fourth said that the movie makes them sick "every time," while one more echoed that they also thought they were going to "be sick" after watching the horror.
Director Speaks Out
In response to the renewed backlash, Watkins defended Eden Lake against being labeled as “torture porn” - a term often associated with films that depict graphic violence for shock value.
“Not really,” he said when asked if he considered his film part of that genre. “For me it’s just trying to tell the story and tell the story true to the characters," cited by Den of Geek.
He pointed to one of the film’s most brutal scenes involving Fassbender’s character, Steve, being overpowered by the gang.
"It’s about Brett imposing his will on the gang and peer pressure in terms of the other kids not wanting to be there," he continued. "So I think it’s very far removed from the sort of gleeful celebration of violence you get in a film like Saw... I don’t think you can watch any of the violence in Eden Lake with a smile, or with titillation.
"The violence has consequences, and the consequences are bad. It’s queasy and it’s sick-inducing, and that’s as it should be in my mind. I don’t think it is torture porn in terms of Eden Lake, but when I was writing it, I wasn’t really thinking about that, I was trying to get immersed in the story and see where that takes me," he added.
Critics Praised The Film
Despite its intense content, Eden Lake earned strong critical praise upon its release. The film currently holds a 76% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 33 reviews.
Time Out describes the ending as "well earned and genuinely shocking," while Metro wrote: "It's the latest proof that, when it comes to scary movies at least, the British film industry is alive and screaming."
The Guardian hailed it as “the best British horror film in years: nasty, scary and tight as a drum,” while The Times called it “a claustrophobic marvel, and an impressive debut by Watkins.”