I'd heard tell that this minimalist British horror flick was one of the "scariest ever" or some such nonsense, so I knew that I'd end up either loving it or hating it. Unfortunately it's the latter, because I found IN FEAR to be one of the worst films I've seen in a while, a no-budget copy of THE HITCHER and HUSH with zero thrills or atmosphere to recommend it.

The entire film consists of an annoying, unpleasant couple driving around in the countryside in their vehicle. They bicker, they argue, and you end up completely hating them and hoping they'll die after about 10 minutes. Not a good start. It doesn't help that Iain de Caestecker is completely dull as the lead, while Alice Englert's shrill, histrionic acting is irritating in the extreme.

Eventually, the pair find themselves menaced by some kind of nefarious villain, although given the script's minimalist nature you're never quite sure what's going on. Neither do you care: I found this hellish to sit through. If I wanted to see somebody driving their car around the country side I'd go and do it myself! Back to film school, guys...

In Ireland, Tom (Iain De Caestecker) and Lucy (Alice Englert) are traveling for a music festival. They have been together for a couple of weeks only and Tom decides to make a surprise to Lucy and spend the night with her in a remote hotel in the woods. They follow the signs on the narrow and winding road and soon they realize that they are lost and the backwoods road is a maze. Soon they are frightened by a stranger that threatens them and Tom realizes that their car is running out of gas. While escaping from the stranger, they hit a man on the road and they bring him to their car. The stranger is called Max (Allen Leech) and soon they discover that he is the man that is tormenting them along the night. What is the motive for Max to torture them?

"In Fear" is a tense thriller with good performances. Unfortunately the good acting is wasted by a terrible story full of holes and awful conclusion. Who would go to a remote place without filling the tank of the car? How could one guy bring so many people to a derelict hotel in the middle of nowhere without any investigation from the police? The plot has a promising beginning but in a certain moment it becomes annoying. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "Uma Noite Para Esquecer" ("One Night to Forget")

Tom (Iain De Caestecker ) is taking his not yet girlfriend Lucy (Alice Englert) to an Irish festival. They stop at a pub where an undisclosed incident happens in the pub, that we may or may not know what really happened. Tom convinces Lucy they should stop at the remote Kilairney House Hotel. While looking for the hotel, they get lost and attacked by a local.

Nearly the entire movie is filmed in a car. The fact that they were lost going around in circles unable to try a different route seemed a bit far fetched. The whole premise had me scratching my head. I still haven't figured out what happened so terrible in the pub to warrant the harassment. And the ending was just messed up.

This was terrible by horror standards and was too inane to be a decent thriller. Redbox took me for another one.

Parental Guide: F-bombs. No sex or nudity.