Horror Movie Review: As A Prelude to Fear (2021)
A low-budget British indie horror/thriller, As A Prelude to Fear is a slow-burn movie that really struggles to hold your attention at first. Then, without realising it, you’re hooked and interested to see where it goes next.
Directed by Steph Du Melo who co-wrote it with Jacob Coen and Roger Wyatt. It stars Lara Lemon as Eve, a young woman meeting her new cello tutor in the British countryside. An arrangement that doesn’t sit well with her boyfriend, Jamie (Jamie Langlands).
He has good reason to be wary too as when she arrives at the location of her tutor’s home, she is knocked out and kidnapped. She wakes up in a filthy basement, locked in and at the mercy of a masked individual. She’s not the only woman down there either as she meets another kidnapped girl. One who has been there for a very long time and has adapted to the rules set by their captor.
Follow the rules if you want to survive.
When Eve doesn’t come home, Jamie goes to the police but they’re not much help. That is until Dobson (Lucy Drive) notices the similarities between Eve’s case and an older case. One that surrounded a serial killer the media called ‘The Pied Piper’.
She gets into contact with Barnbrook (Francis Magee) who has a storied past regarding The Pied Piper. In particular his hounding of his main suspect… who just so happens to be Eve’s ex-tutor.
Will Barnbrook be able to finally catch his man? Will Jamie ever see his girlfriend again? Will Eve be able to survive the demands of her captor and just who is The Pied Piper?
As far as mysteries go, it’s a good one. One that you can work out early on but it doesn’t ruin the reveal. Part of that comes from strong acting across the board with characters you can believe in and get behind. Good characters and good acting are good aspects to nail but it’s not the only thing enjoyable about As A Prelude to Fear.
It’s got atmosphere and that adds more depth to the cold and dark feel the movie has. It might be more of a budgetary thing but the grim way in which the film is shot really adds a lot. After a hot start with the film’s most violent moment, it slows down but builds the mystery well to keep you invested to the strong finale.
It’s a surprise though, considering the aforementioned murder that takes place at the start, that the movie tones down the violence for the most part. Those hoping for a bloodbath of captured souls being tortured might feel let down. For the most part, As a Prelude to Fear goes for implied violence and off-screen death.
Does that harm the overall quality? Not as much as you might expect. Sure, it would be nice to get more from a killer that promises a lot but doesn’t deliver, but the good in this film overshadows the bad.
Author
As A Prelude to Fear (2021)
-
The Final Score - 7/10
7/10
