When nursery teacher Jenny escapes to the country for a relaxing weekend away with her boyfriend, she is unaware of a romantic surprise he has in store. The location is perfect. A lake enclosed by woodlands, seemingly deserted. The scene is set for a picturesque proposal. But before the happy couple can enjoy the retreat, their peace is shattered by a gang of violent youths. What begins is a shocking and unrelenting game of cat-and-mouse, as Jenny is forced to fight back against her aggressors.

BD: You’ve been in the horror-verse ever since 2002 with MY LITTLE EYE, are you a horror fan at heart?

JW: I love horror. Its cinema at its most primal- what better than holding an audience tight in your grip. I like white knuckles. I love a silent, focused crowd.

BD: What films or directors have inspired you?

JW: Growing up Hitchcock and Ridley Scott were my two heroes. Among contemporary directors, I’d add Del Toro, Cuaron, Greengrass, Nolan, Boyle- those directors that can scratch away at the margins of genre, whilst keeping their personal voice.

BD: You’ve now written and directed, which do you prefer? What was your original goal?

JW: I love both. They intertwined. They feed each other. But I’ve always wanted to direct- otherwise I’d have written novels where the writer has control.

BD: Eden Lake is your first directing gig, how was the experience? Was it difficult?

JW: It was fun. Sure, after ten years at your desk, orchestrating a group of 70 people is a challenge. But not as much of a challenge as a blank page!

BD: The film features a group of kids tormenting a young couple. What inspired the story?

JW: No one specific event. But I got obsessed with the fear of youth. It’s a big thing here- whether the fear is justified, it’s there. I thought there was this great inter-generational powderkeg and wanted to light the fuse…

BD: Do you find kids as creepy as I do?

JW: I know the actors- who are all delightful! But I remember watching Jack O’Connell as we shot the funeral pyre scene and watching him become just demonic and marveling at where he managed to dredge such depths!

BD: The movie looks pretty violent, just HOW violent and bloody does it get?

JW: It gets extreme. Burning people alive is extreme. But the film feels more violent and bloody than it actually is- because it feels so real. It’s not monsters or aliens or vampires- but kids. Homegrown horror. A friend told me it’s the most violent film they’ve ever seen. It’s not. Context is everything.

BD: UK films seem to be a lot more daring than films from the States, why do you think that is?

JW: What about the French? Inside, Martyrs! We’ve got some catching up to do with our Gallic cousins…

BD: What visual styling’s did you bring to EDEN LAKE that put your stamp on it?

JW: DoP Chris Ross and I wanted it to look ‘ 70s Hollywood’. We admired how Switchblade Romance had achieved their look for so little money. Eden Lake starts very sunlit and glamorous, then degrades into colder, bleaker, grainier stock. Into wider, more paranoid lens choices. Once in the forest, I also wanted to frame out the sky, to make the trees look like prison bars- to max out the oppressive claustrophic sense of the location.

BD: Do you have plans for a sequel or prequel? If so, what are they?

JW: No. I think I’ve taken it as far as I dare!

BD: You were 2nd unit on THE DECENT PART II, how much input did you have?

JW: I also worked on the script. Director Jon Harris cut Eden Lake and producer Christian Colson produced both films. So it was a real collaboration. In terms of the second unit, I mainly worked with Special FX wizard Paul Hyett shooting gore…close-ups of picks and drills going into crawler heads. It was a laugh.

BD: That’s another film that looks crazy bloody, anything cool you ca reveal?

JW: It’ll be 90 minutes of head-rushing, heart-pounding claustrophobic hell. Or heaven- depends how you look at it.

BD: What is next for you? More horror? Anything our readers would love to know about?!

JW: I’m working on a period ghost story, set in England. Something scary and sad. Tender as well as terrifying!