MovieChat Forums > Eden Lake (2008) Discussion > How can anyone call this 'Horror'?

How can anyone call this 'Horror'?

posted 13 years ago by midnight_muse
94 replies | jump to latest

This is a crime thriller. But I see it classified as Horror over and over on the IMDb.com boards. [Edited to add: Thanks for your comments. That was a poor word choice on my part; I should have said 'violent thriller' instead. What I meant was a thriller where violent crimes are committed, not a police investigation film of course, since there are no police in Eden Lake.]

I really wish some god or other would step down from Olympus and define Horror for good and all. ;) [<------I think some of you missed the winky face...?]

I define 'horror' not merely by violent or horrifying content, but by the presence of the paranormal, the supernatural, the uncanny. [Edited to add: The latter is the broadest concept;, it need not involve the supernatural per se, but the eerie/unknown/inexplicable].

Thus, Eden Lake, Inside, Funny Games, Ils, serial killer films, etc. are NOT Horror films. But The Descent is. And Picnic at Hanging Rock. And Spoorloos... because although *technically* a thriller, there is enough metaphysical and metaphorical foreshadowing to be considered precognitive; therefore paranormal; therefore it's horror. That's how I'd classify them, anyway.

Just wondering about the thoughts of thoughtful fans who may read this board. [Edited to add: and thanks for the great discussions so far!]

________________________________________

I don't come from hell. I came from the forest.

[–] terryperring104 9 years ago

Oh sod pedantic syntax-this film Horrifies. So, any film that does this is a horror film.

[–] terryperring104 9 years ago

Oh sod pedantic syntax-this film Horrifies. So, any film that does this is a horror film.

[–] JudgeNotLestYeBeJudgeReinhold 9 years ago

I don't really think this is a horror, but more of a crime, thriller, drama. It doesn't surprise me that some may refer to this as a horror, though, as it gives (IMO) a feeling of terror and dread throughout.

Anyways, Eden Lake is so, so, SO good (obviously not "good", but well done). I feel I've become desensitized when it comes to gore for the sake of gore, and it just seems to have lost its affect to shock me. But Eden Lake really made me feel horrible. I won't give anything away, but I recommend this one to anyone who finds themselves relating to what I said about being desensitized. Try this one out, and do your best to put yourself in their (the couple) shoes. Also, don't watch it with a friend. Try to watch by yourself. I think these types of films need to be viewed without distraction, and unless you have a friend who can watch an uncomfortable movie without trying to break the tension with tongue-in-cheek humor, watch it by yourself.

[–] siltom1962 9 years ago

Why don't you try for starters using one of these new-fangled inventions they've got nowadays called a dictionary/encyclopedia.

[–] snesss 9 years ago

"And Spoorloos... because although *technically* a thriller, there is enough metaphysical and metaphorical foreshadowing to be considered precognitive; therefore paranormal; therefore it's horror."

Albeit few years late, I just had to respond to this particular comment. Spoorloos is one of my favorite movies and I absolutely ddid not see any factor of metaphysical or paranormal in it. Sorry. It was, at best, a psychological thriller.

Sometimes there is so much beauty in the world I feel like I can't take it...

[–] William_Henry_Pratt 8 years ago

'Horror' is a suspense film with a supernatural twist.

[–] R_Kane (15828) 7 years ago

No. Not even close.

My idea of a twist is a lemon slice in my Johnny Blue on the rocks.

Where the fuck do these infants come from?

[–] dazzyfresh 7 years ago

Horror is short for horrific
I don't think I need to explain and further but clearly this film was horrific.

[–] R_Kane (15828) 7 years ago

Yeah, well your definition of horror sucks. The Silence of the Lambs is horror. The Holocaust was literally horror. This was a sadistic horror movie that was well made and, as a result, uncomfortable to watch. The ending was clear 1/3 into the movie. The adult couple should just have gone home. Stupidity is the fundament of a horror movie, far more than the occult.

And, actually, "horror" is the root word for "horrific." It's not short for anything. It is the wellspring whence (look it the fuck up) flows all derivations. The former is a noun, as in H. P. Lovecraft's The Dunwich Horrer (i. e., Cuthulu). The latter is an adjective derived from a noun.

Oh, I'm sorry. Did you say Duh?