As a Prelude to Fear

British horror movies have usually something special, differ quite a lot from the usual horror flicks from the U. S., have some better character and atmosphere development that capture the real and gripping horror.

This is a british low budget movie from Brighton, refering to a true event and trying to adapt it on screen.

Well, it's an ambitious flick with a lot of dialogue and slow character development, but the filmmaking is not tense or suspenseful: The acting is solid/ok, but not great, intense or gripping that the story needs.

The score is a rather monotonous, annoying midi-synth-piano, that doesn't help in creating atmosphere and tension.

The dialogues are soporific and the longer the movie gets, the more talking and the harder it's to be interested in the kidnapped victim and its fate and the police investigation. I felt more and more bored. Sorry.

If you're interested in some low budget, independent horror flick based on true events and have the patience to sit it through, give it a try.

Otherwise, skip this one.

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.

Very moody, dark and atmospheric thriller/horror.

Not very scary but certainly has a lot of suspense. Would say it's definitely more of a police/crime thriller rather than a horror.

Worth a watch if you like thriller films with a twist.

Some interesting ideas in this although not completely original but what film is these days.

Kind of reminds me of a low budget seven/kiss the girls.

It was a bit slow at times but the end is good and worth sticking with.

I'd say it's just about good enough to be taken seriously unlike a lot of other low budget films out there.

Francis Magee is great in the lead role also.

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.

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.