The Lake (1998) (TV)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

David Jackson

Writers (WGA):

J.D. Feigelson (story)
Alan Brennert (teleplay) ...

Release Date:

1 February 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot Keywords:

Little Boy | Police | Hospital | Small Town | Alien Invasion

Cast

Yasmine Bleeth	...	Jackie Ivers
Linden Ashby	...	Dr. Jeff Chapman
Stanley Anderson	...	Steve Ivers
Haley Joel Osment	...	Dylan Hydecker
Caroline Lagerfelt	...	Mayor Louise Terry
Susanna Thompson	...	Denise Hydecker
Dewey Weber	...	Officer Gary Reed
Matt Beck	...	Officer Mills (as Matthew Beck)
Robert Prosky	...	Herb
Marion Ross	...	Maggie
Michael Winters	...	Dr. Braden
Carey Scott	...	The Man
Marc Gomes	...	Lt. Governor Chandler
Geoffrey Rivas	...	Chief Ramirez
David Dunard	...	Lt. Frank Thompson (as David S. Dunard)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | Germany:16 | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Dennis Hammer Productions

Quotes:

Jackie: Maggie, I need your help. Everybody goes into the lake and comes out different.
Maggie: You sure got that right honey.

From Baywatch to Lake-watch

Those who expected the combination of words "Lake + Yasmine + Bleeth" to equal ninety minutes of the ravishing former Baywatch star parading in colorful bikinis and too tight bathing suits might be *slightly* disappointed, but all the others are likely to be pleasantly surprised after seeing this produced-for-TV 90's thriller. The plot offers absolutely nothing original, as it's just another umpteenth variation on the "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" theme, but the overall atmosphere is remarkably unsettling, the pacing is kept stable without too many boring relapses and the acting performances are more than adequate. If you can accept the unearthly beautiful & voluptuous Bleeth to play the role of an intelligent nurse, you won't have any problems sinking your teeth into the rest of derivative story, neither. Jackie Ivers returns to her little hometown, San Vincento, California, after she received note that her abusive and drunkard father is dying from liver cirrhosis. She immediately notices something isn't kosher in town. Severely injured victims of car accidents happily walk the streets the day after, friendly elderly neighbors turn into grumpy and emotionless people overnight and even Jackie's terminally ill father miraculously cures and transforms into an amiable guy. Long before Jackie does, the attentive and experienced viewer figures out the townsfolk are gradually being replaced with replicas from a parallel dimension, and this through an eerie vortex in the middle of the town's lake. Admittedly you're always several steps ahead of the script, but the film at least contains a handful of well-staged & tense scenes (for example, when neighbor Maggie runs into her own doppelganger) and the paranoid climax even reminded me of the genuinely nostalgic Sci-Fi efforts of the 1950's. Admirers of the lovely Mrs. Bleeth – and, honestly, what male individual on this planet isn't one – are treated to a double portion of eye-candy near the end of the movie and even during that scene she behaves like a professional actress. "The Lake" also stars Haley Joel Osment before he became a world star thanks to "The Sixth Sense" and the always reliable Robert Prosky whose face anyone will recognize. Decent rainy-Saturday-afternoon time-waster.