Eden Lake. Textual analysis.

“Eden Lake” is a horror film made in 2008 by James Watkins. It is about a couple that has gone out for a weekend to have a romantic break. They confront a local youth band; Steve and Jenny (main characters) suffer terrifying consequences. The narrative or the plot that is built in the movie is good, because of the different angles of camera, also showing us how the day is passing through, we can see it because of this narrative built up here. In the movie, we can see that they went out for a weekend to a city, far away, an unknown place. The jump cuts (a cut in the film passing to another shot, to see the time or other place that the film is going) demonstrate us how the day is passing, through the motorway; how the night is arriving when they are entering the city. Before they go to the trip we see a close up of the ring when Steve have it on his hand and smile to it, also we see a shot outside the school were Jenny works, with this shot we see that the man in that romantic trip is going to propose to the woman. To went out for this trip the use a GPS, we can see the GPS through a shot in the backwards seats of the car, the GPS is in the middle, is really important this. This proves us that was an unknown place for them, was really far away and no so much recognizable.

     In a short time of the movie we can know a lot of the life of the characters. Jenny is a teacher in a school of children; this character is represented by a good person, the treat that she have with the children’s show us this. In the second shot we see the man with the ring in the car, he want to propose to the woman. Also we see the woman coming running, really happy, this produce to the audience an impression that she is a happy woman. They were a happy couple, for example when he have the ring and smile to it, but when he see that the woman is coming he hide it. This was a secret of the man to the woman. Their happiness was real. After this, when they arrive the city we see that they are a not violent people. For example when they were to park, one car comes faster and took their place. A medium close up of the kissing demonstrate to us their happiness. In the relationship was a balance, shown by the two shot from the back of the car, Steve meet in middle in symmetry, also is a smiling close up. They were the typical middle class, they have a jeep, and the man uses sun glasses, ray bans, the ring, and gadget in the car, middle of back seat medium shot. In the scenes are a lot of light, clear, bright colors used, lighting a natural sunlight their happiness is conveyed by this. The clothes that the girl use was a summer dress, purple and white, colorful. The man use a blue shirt, working man, and tidy, organized, professional, clean shaven. The kids that were on the city they ride bikes-reckless, ignorant, the things that they do, blurred, indistinct.

     “Eden Lake” has different conventions that help it to be a horror film. The bright colors, clear colors that are used for the start of their trip, show us their happiness, but when the time passed we can see in the motorway that the night is coming by jump cuts. They arrive to that city in the night and start to see rude younger people. Increasing tension through the use of a high pitched violin. As the settings becomes darker, more minor chords are used, a more melancholy sound.

     The movie creates the theme of the youth attacks, the violence of teenagers in England. Difference in classes, working classes with middle classes (problems in classes). Middle class-city, education-school, showing us the daylight-summer, technology that aids life, correct attitude, respect, happy. The working class-country, village, small town, children on street at night (this implies parents not looking after kids), adults out in a pub drinking, darkness, camera shows separation between character from one world to the other-car scene. Radio plays news showing the dealing with bad behavior of children; parents are blaming education system; schools are blaming the parents, is a chaos. Implicit criticism of education through the journey taken by the girl. She represents the world of education in the start of the movie and she ends up killing kids.

     This movie was influenced by some socio-cultural factors. The problems in classes, the hate that some people of some classes have to people of another class. In the movie we see this through the hate that the younger people (working class) have to Steve and Jenny (middle class). The hate that the youth people have to them, how Steve finishes, and also Jenny, the hate really exists. Another socio-cultural factor was the youth crime in England. This was increasing in England and this movie demonstrates us the violence through youth people, the youth crime exists. Finally, in the movie we can see that Jenny puts the “t-shirt of hero” because she fight to save Steve, she fight with the nature and with the younger people, the roles in the movie change, the strength was Jenny and the weakest was Steve.