Summer Scars (2007)

Critic Reviews

• Nigel Floyd, Time Out

  An inexperienced cast don't always make the most of a slippery, unsettling script by Al Wilson, but Amy Harvey's nuanced portrayal of tomboy Leanne - all braces and bolshie attitude up front, yet shy and vulnerable underneath - is a stand-out.

• Jon Fortgang, Film4

  A smart, sharp British psycho-thriller.

• Wendy Ide, Times [UK]

  The writing is perfunctory, the performances are amateurish. And you couldn't care less if the whole lot of them are sliced and diced by the mad tramp.

• Andrew Pulver, Guardian [UK]

  Richards opts for grimy realism over stalk'n'slash, but he doesn't appear to possess the cinematic chops to make it work.

• Nikki Baughan, Little White Lies

  Summer Scars develops into something altogether more disturbing, with a climax as brutal as any Hollywood slasher.

• Rob Daniel, Sky Movies

  Summer Scars packs more suspense into 68 minutes than most big budget thrillers do at twice the length.

• , Total Film

  Despite the snappy running time, Scars is occasionally unfocused - until its fiercely sadistic final 20 minutes, which coil the uneasy mood into something unexpectedly distressing.

• , Sun Online

  Unfortunately, writer/director Julian Richards quickly runs out of ideas with his story, which scratches rather than scars.

• Matthew Turner, ViewLondon

  Creepy, atmospheric, low-budget British thriller that maintains tension throughout.

• Anton Bitel, Eye for Film

  Richards' film may be an ultra-low budget affair, but it is also a punchy thriller... where social realism clashes with the fairytale symbolism of the deep dark woods.

Read all 10 critic reviews