Cherry Tree Lane (2010)

For some people a good horror film involves something supernatural, things going bump in the night and a bit of demonic possession thrown in. For others there is nothing scarier than a dose of reality. Cherry Tree lane plants its flag firmly in this territory. It joins the tradition of films that attempt to put you in the characters shoes in a very believable setting. Christine (Rachael Blake) and Michael (Tom Butcher) are a middle aged couple sitting down to dinner like any normal people when the doorbell rings and starts a terrifying series of events. Their son Sebastian is out at football training while three lads come calling for him. Forcing entry and holding Christine at knife point, they bind the couple and settle down to wait for the son to return.

This really is no frills film making. The opening is shot in eerie silence, the camera slowly zooming in on their front door. This is the only shot of the outside world, the rest of the gut churning events all take place within the house. There are no distractions from the very simple story here. All attention is focused sharply on the characters reactions. I really liked the bravery of it. I did find it slow at times but no doubt this was the intention as the three young lads wait for their target to come home. The effect is a very tense waiting game interspersed with action.

The acting throughout is very believable, Christine and Michael wear their fear on their faces (they have to as they spend a lot of time gagged to be fair). Much of the action is shot in extreme close up, bringing the audience as close to facing their fears as possible. It really is one of those films that makes you think what if that was me? What would I do? The attackers are also very good, carrying on the tradition of British cinema taking raw youngsters straight from stage school to the big screen. Jumayn Hunter as the leader Rian is particularly chilling. He fills the screen with his brooding presence, lurching from cold and calculating to rampant anger.

I found my heart racing as the film reached its climax which is always a sign of a good horror in my opinion. Too many big budget horrors just seem to leave me cold, with a real sense of 'seen it all before'. There is an element of that here as I found myself thinking back to The Strangers, which was a fine example of this style of claustrophobic film making. Despite its limitations I still enjoyed this but would not recommend it to anyone with a short attention span or who prefers loud explosions to subtle acting.

6/10