As a Prelude to Fear (2022) User Reviews

Solid, but very slow, lenghty and not that intense it could have been

[Shadowboy_25cm · 5/10 · 13 July 2022]

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.

A very boring and nasty Attempt at film making

[Ian_noying · 1/10 · 13 April 2023]

I don't quite know how to articulate just how awful this film was?

It just drags on and on, with nothing of any real interest going on except some perverse fantasy about girls being locked in a basement.

Every charactor was completely one dimentional with zero attempt at development or fleshing out in any way.

It was as if the whole thing was written and conceived by people that have never actually seen a film before let alone know the first thing about making one.

I have no complaints abouts the actors, they seemed to make the best of the terrible dialogue and the nasty almost unwatchable torture scenes.

To top it all off the monotonous sound track was headache inducing and when ever an actor was prentending to play cello along with the awful synth it just came across as cheesey and almost comical.

What a predictable twist at the end too, i saw it coming a mile away.

Bad acting. Bad script. Bad "twists"

[gtxhrw · 1/10 · 28 June 2023]

The twist was seen a million miles away. I knew who the killer was from the get go. It was so obvious that I convinced myself I must be wrong and spent the rest of the movie trying to work out who else it may be. Although no one else fit the bill. And I was confirmed right at the end. The alleged double bluffs were rubbish and clearly not any good. The initial "twist". If you can call it that. Was also obvious. And also a bit weird as it wasn't clear how that person got to the hide out or dressed as the killer etc. So was a bit dumb.

The acting is awful. The plot is dire and as I say. The twists are glaringly obvious.

The ending tried to be current by giving figures about how Many people go missing each year, in different countries around the world. Which may be impactful if the killer was a human trafficker or something. But given who it turns out To be it just makes the facts seem bizarre. Like are we suggesting all people like the killer in this movie are people kidnappers? If so then we all better be scared for our futures. I would honestly give this a miss and rewatch an old favourite instead. I assure you. You'll have a much bettter time.

A good moody, thought provoking movie

[lesattridge · 9/10 · 8 September 2022]

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.

Suspenseful thriller

[Horrorfan-678 · 7/10 · 28 October 2022]

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.

Thriller with an interesting twist

[jdlanglands · 9/10 · 25 October 2022]

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.

Good for an indie

[lianneharrington · 7/10 · 28 October 2022]

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.

Film Reviewer Quotes

[laertesuk · 10/10 · 11 June 2022]

Martyn Wakefield for UK Horror "Prelude to fear brings about true horror in a way like no other."............ Phil Wheat for Nerdly "A pretty impressive second film"........... Stephen Hutchinson for Tales of Terror "I find the confinement exciting and evocative"............ Daniel Simmonds for Rotting Zombie "I find myself fully on board looking forward to how Prelude to fear would play out"............ Michael Talbot-Haynes for Filmthreat "As a Prelude to Fear is a grim piece of work that takes some nasty turns down in the dark. The subject matter is taken seriously. It is well-paced and engaging, with twists that had me second-guessing throughout. The lighting and atmosphere are very well done, dredging the murk effectively. Du Melo also scored the picture with a tidy orchestra that nicely fits the cellist themes."...........

Solid

[Jimbl-123 · 6/10 · 28 October 2022]

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.