As a Prelude to Fear

Mildly entertaining with a good twist that keeps you guessing. It starts well then lags a bit in the middle but then gets good again towards the end which seems to be the way with most films. I'll be kind and give it a star rating of 7 just because of the low budget. It's worth a watch for any fans of low budget film making just to see what can be done with. It's got some interesting characters and a good musical score and better than most indie films. The kidnapped girl I really felt for and thought she did an excellent job. Like I say it's good for a low budget independent film so if you like indie thrillers then worth a watch.

This is an interesting thriller that stars Francis Magee (who is great in his role as police detective Barnbrook). Although a bit slow at times it's well worth sticking with as the end twist is well worth the pay off.

The acting performances where all fairly good with some interesting characters. Most British horror/thriller films I find it hard to get into as they tend to be slow and drawn out but this 1 kept me intrigued untill the very end and although it wasn't a high end big budget Hollywood film the production values where surprisingly good and was shot quite nicely.

Very dark and moody with a lot of atmosphere so I'd say definitely worth a watch.

A good solid independent feature film starring Francis Magee and Lara Lemon.

Slow in parts with a lot of dialogue scenes but overall I thought it was pretty good.

The basement scenes where by far the best adding lots of mystery and very atmospheric.

Most indie films really suffer because of the low budget but this one managed to hold up quite well considering the low budget.

Performances where all fairly good although maybe a bit over the top in parts but it added to the intensity of the situations.

I would recommend this film for anyone who is a fan of Francis Magee and for anyone who likes British thriller/horror films.

It starts off with a quote from Benjamin Franklin, "Justice will not be served until those who have been unaffected are as outraged as those that are." This film is based on true events. The English countryside as the intro credits roll is rural and isolated, which is the perfect setting for a horror movie. This film had me on the edge of my seat the whole way through.

This is an atmospheric true crime horror film with so many wonderful elements woven into it. The intricately textured plot is solid. The storyline is easy to follow, though complex. The psychological aspects are well thought out, in that there are fascinating power and mind games going on between the characters. The power play between DSC Barnbrook and Mr Corcoran is brilliant. A psychological warfare begins as we see Eve tested to her limits in the basement as he uses the women locked up with her against each other. When the sadistic freak threatens to harm one of the other girls if Eve doesn't comply with his demands, is a terrible way to torment the victims further.

Eve Taylor (played by Lara Lemon) vanishes when she is supposed to meet up with a music teacher for cello lessons. Originally, they were meant to meet at a café, however, plans abruptly change and she is directed to meet at a rundown barn. It's ironic because there is a sign on the door telling students to go straight inside for lessons. The real lesson here is that she shouldn't have gone inside. This in turn means that now her boyfriend, Jamie Harris (played by Jamie Langlands) who dropped her off at the café now has no clue where she is. The tension and suspense are building nicely.

The opening scene is visceral and disturbing - it sent shivers down my spine. We meet Mr Giles Corcoran (played by Roger Wyatt) the music teacher. Meanwhile, Eve wakes up locked in a basement. We meet The Pied Piper, who is a frightening character. DS Dobson (played by Lucy Drive) along with DCS Barnbrook (played by Francis Magee) become involved in the case.

The scenes in the basement add the effect of cold, darkness, claustrophobia, and impending doom. We learn that Eve is not alone. The situation becomes fraught when she realises she has to depend on her kidnapper for food and water, and in order to survive. If anything were to happen to him, she would be left there to die with the others. What a terrible situation to find oneself in. This is reinforced when Jamie decides to find out who The Pied Piper is, so he goes to see Robert Cox (played by Ron McMillan) who is the uncle of one of the victim's, Jo Cox. It dawns on them the dire situation, that if The Pied Piper were to be caught and arrested, Eve could starve to death. The fact that it is taking Jamie to investigate the disappearance of his girlfriend goes to show the fallibility of the police. When Jamie turns up to the cottage, I was on the edge of my seat! The twist and turns are fantastic! There is a very emotive scene, and great acting by Langlands.

I appreciated the scene where The Pied Piper asks Eve to play the cello for him, it's a good way of showing that she is a survivor, and a fighter. She plays so beautifully considering she is playing under duress. This shows us some of her personality, that she is stubborn, but will she be able to escape before her fortitude fractures?

Some good resolutions happen towards the end to either throw the viewer off or to help to put the pieces together. The superintendent may have crossed the line, is he on the right trail or going around in a cycle of delusion? Secrets are revealed in a tragic way. Finally, the police are making headway, but will they get there in time to save Eve? They are all off in different directions, one of them gets caught in a trap, will they get out alive? The massive twist at the end was totally unexpected and blew the story out of the water! I did not foresee this happening, so well done for keeping us guessing right up to the very end.

I highly recommend you watch this film; you will not be disappointed. The cast put everything into their roles, and you can tell this by how well they brought their characters to life, Well done! The atmosphere couldn't have been conceived in a better way, the dread and fear transfers over into the film. The overall tone is dramatic and frightful, maximising on the suspense and horror. This is another golden gem of indie filmmaking.

Starring: Francis Magee, Lara Lemon, and Jamie Langlands.

Reviewed by Del Gibson.

I enjoyed this movie a lot, the performances were mostly good and well executed with interesting set builds. Francis Magee was good as usual, I've been a fan of Francis Magee from both East Enders and Game of Thrones and he gives a very convincing Yorkshire UK accent from a broad Irishman with some passionate moments. Lara Lemon also gives a very good performance as Eve the girl beaten down by this terrible traumatic event who has to find the strength to endure while all others around her have given in to their plight. Roger Cooper is also very good as the psychotic cello playing teacher who the police know has Eve but can't prove it. The film has about three really good twists in it which I wasn't expecting, so it didn't end like the average Hollywood film. I can't be sure, but I think the film has a deeper meaning than you might first imagine. Beneath the surface I think it's a film about facing the challenge of being alone in a world where everything is being taken from you, one that looks like there is no way out and trying to find a way through it... mmmmm A bit like life at the moment. I have seen one other film from the director Steph Du Melo called CAM and I see the copyright date on that film is 2013 so that had a certain prophetic angle to it, with an underlining current in the narrative of the gullibility of people. As a prelude to Fear also highlights the amount of people that go missing in a year, which I never realised, So although I can't be sure I would expect there to be more to this story than meets the eye.

I watch a lot of independent movies and to be honest most are unwatchable, so this was a breath of fresh air to me. I notice that Steph Du Melo not only directed it but wrote the score, edited it and wrote the screenplay, so that must have been a challenge to make. If you're looking for an action packed Marvel movie this may not be for you, but if a thought provoking thriller underlying the state of the British police with some great multi twists in the end then this could be.