I started writing my novel, Eden Lake, in early 2006 and finished it in the Spring of 2008. Before I named it, I did a quick Internet search to see if there was another book by the same name, just in case. (Titles can’t be copyrighted, but it’s always good to have a unique title.) I didn’t find another book, but I did find, after some concerted searching, some mentions of a newly-released, low-budget British horror film called Eden Lake.
Apparently the movie won a cult following, and now has a pretty large viewership as a DVD. (The director, James Watkins, seems to have gone on to bigger and better things, too — he has a movie coming out in 2012 starring Daniel Radcliffe, a.k.a. Harry Potter.) So at any given point, when I search “Eden Lake” on Twitter (to see if, you know, anyone is tweeting about how amazing my book is or how excited they are to read it) up will pop at least a couple dozen recent tweets about the movie. Some actual examples:
“Wow that ending to Eden Lake…. What the fuck… Just WOW!!”
“Eden Lake. Best film to watch while high. #fact”
“Eden Lake is the sickest film I have ever watched. Traumatised for life.”
“eden lake heb ik al gezien. en no way dat ik alleen een enge film ga kijken”
“Eden Lake; shittest movie I have ever watched.”
“Kijk ‘Eden Lake’ die is echt eng! Of tenminste heel spannend, vies en zielig.”
“viens de voir un maudit MAUDIT bon film d’horreur Européen “Eden Lake””
(I can only hope that someday, somebody in France calls my Eden Lake maudit MAUDIT bon. Because one “maudit” would be awesome. But two maudits, one in ALL CAPS? A dream fulfilled.)
Anyway, I can’t imagine how it’s a bad thing that my novel shares a name with a fucked up, maudit bon horror film best watched when high, right?
And to any Eden Lake — the movie — fans or would-be viewers who found their way here by mistake, can I interest you in a nice, wholesome family drama set at a kids’ summer camp? No blood, no torture, no marauding gangs of psychotic, n’er do well teenagers. Might be the perfect thing to have on hand to take the nasty taste out of your mouth after the movie…
Ha ha! I found the “other” Eden Lake when I did a twitter search for your book.
I’m savoring the book, deliberately reading it slowly so I can enjoy every page. I cherish my signed copy. Thanks Jane! <3
Heh well you’ve got at least one visitor now who learned of your novel because of the film.
That’s awesome, BT! Checked out your site and I’m going to bookmark it. The mister and I are always looking for interesting stuff to watch.
Cheers,
JR
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