Lake Dead (2007)

User Rating:

4.4/10   

Director:

George Bessudo

Writer:

Daniel P. Coughlin (writer)

Release Date:

11 July 2008 (Australia)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Beneath the calmest surface lies the deepest nightmare

Plot:

Three sisters and a group of their friends take a trip to the home of the recently deceased grandfather -- who died a particularly grisly death -- to learn more about the promise of an inheritance, only to encounter a family of psychos who have taken up residence in the old man's cabin.

Plot Keywords:

Lake | Motel | Hanged Man | Incest | Violence

Cast

Alex A. Quinn	...	Bill Welsh (as Alex Quinn)
Kelsey Crane	...	Brielle Lake
Jim Devoti	...	Ben Graham
Kelsey Wedeen	...	Kelly Lake
Tara Gerard	...	Samantha Lake
Vanessa Viola	...	Amy Leigh
James C. Burns	...	Sheriff Chuck Lake
Pat McNeely	...	Gloria Lake
Edwin Craig	...	Willard Lake / Grandpa
Christian Stokes	...	Abel Lake
Trevor Torseth	...	Kane Lake
Dan Woods	...	John Lake
Malea Richardson	...	Tanya Holt
Kenn Woodard	...	Priest
Lydia Hyslop	...	Doomed Teenager #1

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence/gore, a rape scene, language, some sexual content and drug use.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Australia:MA (2008) | Australia:MA | Netherlands:16 | USA:Unrated (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Sable Ranch - 25933 Sand Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, California, USA

Company:

Alliance Group Entertainment

Goofs:

Continuity: Right before Brielle goes swimming in the lake she is seen lying on the beach talking to Tanya, the camera moves to show Brielle jump into the lake and you see five people swimming (including Brielle) but there should have only been four since Tanya was still on the beach.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Lake Dead: Behind the Scenes (2007) (V)

The 13th to Last Lakeside Massacre on the Left

Lake Dead is clearly a rip off of much better films such as The Last House on the Left and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre; but to be honest some of my favourite films are rip offs of those films so I wasn't too worried going into it. That was until I realised that most of my favourite rip offs (films like The House on the Edge of the Park and Death Weekend) were made during the heyday of horror when even a talentless bunch of hacks could churn out something good with a decent location and a fistful of film stock. Unfortunately the makers of Lake Dead weren't able to follow suit; but to the film's credit, it's entertaining enough stuff and I cant really criticise it too much considering the type of film it is. The plot focuses very simply on three sisters who go with their friends to check out a motel left to them by their grandfather; who just so happened to have died a rather grisly death. The sisters have their eyes on a big sale price; but get a surprise once they arrive at the motel when they discover that their long lost relatives are a bunch of psychos...

Anyone with more than a passing interest in this type of film will have seen most of what happens here many times before, which is a bit of a shame because the director obviously had good intentions and the film might have been decent with just a little bit of originality. The characters are all very samey and clichéd and thus hard to care about, or follow. The three sisters are very nice looking at least...but this novelty wears off pretty quickly. The setting is good however and the cinematography is nice and crisp...although actually a gritty style would have suited the film better. The psychotic relatives are not all that interesting either and pale in comparison even to the family in the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The gore is well used and fairly realistic and there's a fair few death scenes featuring including one that sees someone have his face caved in with the blunt end of a shotgun. However, it's the lack of originality that ultimately condemns the film and if you're looking for something you haven't seen before; feel free to look elsewhere.