Driving, lost and tormented in the night, primal fears of the dark and the unknown give way to fear that you have let the evil in, or that it is already there.
A taut, chilling little horror-thriller making maximum use of minimal resources to tap into our primal fears of the unknown. Plus shredded-nerve turns from an (evidently) adaptable cast.
Most writer-directors don’t know how to start a film like this, let alone finish it, and as a portrait of two people hopelessly lost and horribly scared it’s a haunting watch.
There are a few decent jolts en route before it runs out of gas and ideas.
It may be contrived and nothing new plot-wise, but In Fear has atmosphere and enough proper scares to deliver on the promise of its title.
Runs in circles of queasy inspiration for a good hour. Then follows the not-so-good half hour.
It would have been better to keep the bogeyman in the shadows, or at least give him a second draft.
In Fear is a slickly made, impressively pared-down horror/thriller but is too abstract for its own good – it is hard to feel any great emotional identification (or fear) for characters who so sketchily written.
Interesting characters and sensual fear grip for the most part.
A smart, disturbing exercise in anxiety.
Nostalgic nods to the substantive grime of the 70s go beyond mere smart-arsed visual quotation, while an atmospheric soundtrack ups the anxious ante.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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