The backroads and woods of rural Ireland open up to steady and relentless menace in this

psychological horror thriller, the debut feature of writer and director Jeremy Lovering. The basic

setup is familiar and uncomplicated; Lucy and Tom (Alice Englert and Iain De Caestecker), a

young couple in the first weeks of a burgeoning relationship, are travelling to a secluded hotel

for the evening on their way to a music festival. However as night descends and their directions

start to lead them in circles, the two of them become hopelessly lost before realizing that they

may not be alone…

Eschewing a standard format for what seems like very familiar material in the horror genre,

Lovering has taken the bold move of denying his two leads a set script. The actors were provided

with a brief outline of what direction individual scenes would take but were left unaware

of what exactly would occur. Improvisation and surprise are the driving forces here. It’s a

directorial stroke that provides the film with a fresh feel despite the well worn setting. It shows

particularly in the performances of the two leads whose increasing paranoia and discomfort is

entirely convincing. Even before the scares start their portrayal of a burgeoning relationship, all

uncertainty and stubbornness, gives their predicament an incredibly believable air. This is helped

by the increasingly claustrophobic direction as open roads give way to the sweaty, grimy interior

of the couples car. This culminates in one tremendously unsettling scene, which Lovering takes

his time letting the penny drop for the characters to realize just how dire their situation is. It’s the

directorial equivalent of twisting the knife.

The novel approach that Lovering and his collaborators take is welcome to a narrative that does

at times stray towards the predictable. An early confrontation with hostile locals is a nice nod

towards Straw Dogs, but as we go from winding roads to useless maps, low petrol and rising

tempers there is the nagging feeling that we’re going through a checklist of horror tropes. Some

hardcore genre fans may perhaps even find themselves moaning as characters make decisions

and take actions that only characters in horror films would make. Some may also find the final

act somewhat anticlimactic, though the final shot really encapsulates the idea of a never ending

pursuit and terror. Whatever flaws In Fear may have, its expert direction and performances give

it the edge that it needs to stand out in clogged up market of British horror cinema. On the basis

of this, Lovering may prove to be a director to watch.