Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘In Fear’

Written by Scott Edwards

Being spontaneous is one of the things that people get praised for in relationships. Not knowing what is coming next seems to keep a couple's love alive and they are always looking forward to the next surprise. But being spontaneous can lead to bad results as well for when you are in a distant land and do not know the layout, you may find yourself being taken for a ride. It is always good to do something at the spur of the moment, but you also need to make sure you know what you are getting yourself into when things go wrong.

Tom and Lucy are ready to hit the road on their way to a music festival with their friends, but Tom has a surprise for his young love. Hearing about a secluded hotel where the two can spend the night together, Tom has pulled out all of the stops and is ready to see Lucy’s reaction when he tells her. Although Lucy is surprised, she is also kind of upset when she had already made plans with their friends to camp out before the concert. Seeing that Tom is disappointed, she goes along with the plan, since he has put a lot of thought into it and there is no better way to celebrate their first weekend getaway together than under a solid roof and a cozy bed.

Not knowing where he is really going, Tom has arranged for a member of the hotel staff to show him the way. Seeing a truck with the hotel emblem on the back, the truck is slated to take the young couple into the woods and leave before the two arrive on their retreat. After watching the truck leave, Tom follows the signs for the hotel, but the back roads are confusing, and he winds up driving right back to where they started. Trying it again and having the same result, Tom gets out and starts walking up a path to see if he can find the hotel that way. When Lucy gets out of the car and starts to rearrange some things, she feels a pull on her hair. Thinking that it was Tom playing a trick on her, she lets it go, and heads up the hill with him. Hearing the car alarm going off, the two rush back down to see what is happening, and when Tom sees that the keys are not in the ignition, the two have to find the keys and get out of the area since there is something strange going on.

Keeping an eye out the window after they find the keys, Lucy is sure that she sees someone on the hill looking at them and gets Tom to be her second set of eyes. Seeing that it is just a scarecrow, Tom dismisses what Lucy thinks is happening and the couple continue on their lost drive. Pulling up to a string of lights illuminating Lucy’s dresses, Tom is starting to believe that there is something more happening but cannot explain it and wants to get to the hotel before anything else happens. Cracking open his bottle of scotch, Tom takes some swigs and tries to get Lucy to calm down, but when he takes his eyes off of the road, he hits a man that is trying to get away as well. Max sneaks into the car and guarantees that he knows what is happening in the back woods and can get the couple to the hotel, but the couple soon finds out that their injured passenger does not have the best intentions for anyone in the car.

More can be done with less and that is what this movie is out to prove. With only three characters, you get more of a chance to understand their motivations, fears and their true feelings. I cannot believe that after Lucy started to think that she is seeing things that Tom would not be more supportive of her, but he was focused on making it the perfect night for them and he failed. Max was looking for someone to give him a lift away from the crazies in the woods, but he soon proved that the only crazy around was in the car. Making sure that the couple fully understood why they were being tormented with, Max pops the all-important question about who will die on this trip and even though it is not Lucy, he pushes the young woman to her breaking point and enjoys doing it. I liked the characters, along with the flow of the story and while some of the things that were done made me shake my head, when you see the first death, you can understand how creeped out some people can be, especially when looking for a little bit of revenge. Stay Scared.

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