Viewed – 16 March 2009  DVD

So this one starts out like any other run of the mill horror, where a young couple go for an idyllic weekend in a remote beauty spot, and are soon set upon by undesirables.  Now before you switch off and start reading some other website, this isn’t quite as formulaic as you might think, as this Brit set horror has the frightening prospect of teenage kids as the enemy, trashy, tough talking scum bags who at first appear as idiotic, immature kids, then something all the more terrifying when events spiral out of control.

The stand out performance here is the gutsy heroine Jenny (Kelly Reilly) who despite being a primary school teacher, soon  turns into a violent vigilante as the film nears its end, and I was completely gripped.   The young cast of hoodies are first rate and believable (I even think I’ve come across their kind at various points in my life), and especially if you are  a working class Brit, they will be all the more disturbing.  This is savage and unrelenting stuff, with some absolutely shocking violence and intense atmosphere, that will drain you right up to its shocking conclusion.

Horror movies are much nastier these days, that’s a certainty, and sometimes I wished they would just ‘let up’ on it for a moment … but no, there is no escape, and you will either love it or switch it off half-way through.  It really is that kind of movie.

Verdict:  3.5 /5