Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    HORRORSCREAMS VIDEOVAULT – SUPPORTING INDEPENDENT HORROR
    • Home
    • Film Reviews
      • Films Beginning With Numbers or Symbols
      • A – C
      • D – F
      • G – I
      • J – L
      • M – O
      • P – R
      • S – U
      • V – X
      • Y – Z
    • Book Reviews
    • Franchise Corner
    • Competitions
    • Horror Screams Podcast
    • Contact Us
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    HORRORSCREAMS VIDEOVAULT – SUPPORTING INDEPENDENT HORROR

    Film Review: LAKE OF DEATH (2019)

    Sarah BuddBy Sarah Budd11th March 2021No Comments4 Mins Read

    LAKE OF DEATH *** Norway 2019 Dir: Nini Bull Robsahm. 94 mins

    Based on the 1958 movie LAKE OF THE DEAD this 21st century adaptation introduces us to Lillian (Iben Akerlie) and a group of her friends as they go back to her families cabin by the lake where her twin brother Bjorn (Patrick Walshe McBride) drowned a year ago. Plagued by guilt which is causing her to sleepwalk and have recurring nightmares of black slime Lillian wanted to go back there to face her demons and get some closure on the situation as she believes it was Bjorns jealousy of her that led to his death. Lillians friends are looking to have a bit of fun whilst trying to support her but they find themselves questioning their friendships and fearing for their lives as a strange presence soon begins to make itself known.

    I found this movie incredibly stunning visually and really eerie to start with but my enthusiasm did falter a fair bit when I realised the build ups never really went anywhere. The characters seem stereotypically Scandinavian… quiet, brooding and intelligent but even though they’re supposed to be friends (even the couple) none of them seem to like each other and they are constantly bickering. They are very self aware though with more then a few references to THE EVIL DEAD and A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. One of the group Bernhard (Jakob Schoyen Anderson), a horror fan and podcaster, is hoping to get some good ghost stories for his podcast on the paranormal. He doesn’t have to wait long as a friend of Lillians family Kai (Ulric van der Esch) regales the friends with the story of Gruvik. A local man who, many years ago, murdered his wife and her lover then drowned himself in the lake. This plants the seed within all of us that paranormal activity will be a large part of the movie putting us all on high alert. Pretty soon after that tale strange things start happening, Harald (Elias Munk) wakes up one morning with DEAD written across his forehead naturally he accuses the others of doing it as a joke but no one owns up to it. The breakfast table has been set and breakfast made but no one knows who did it or why there is an extra place set. Getting a bit freaked out by this and the disappearance of their dog they do some investigating and discover that the cabin has its very own EVIL DEAD style basement and things start to shift from the supernatural to an unsavoury character living in the basement type scenario.

    It is really creepy at times and does rely on a few jump scares but none of it amounts to much. I suppose that by the end of the movie you realise the supernatural element is more implied than real and was never meant to be the major factor in this which is clever and brings more realism to the whole thing. There are only a few kills all off screen but the practical effects used to show the aftermath are good. As mentioned the scenery and cinematography are both eerie and incredibly beautiful, the score is haunting and effective and it is well acted if a bit stiff at times. I have not seen LAKE OF THE DEAD from 1958 to make any comparisons but this version certainly sounds like it sticks to a similar premise and uses the same character names only changes them up a bit from the original. I was just left feeling a bit let down by the build ups never really going anywhere and it certainly did not live up to my expectations from its trailer.

    Review by Sarah Budd

     

    LAKE OF DEATH IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

     

    Facebook0Like0Share0Tweet0Pin0
    Drama Horror Lake Of Death Mystery Nini Bull Robsahm Shudder

    Related Posts

    Film Review: JAKOB’S WIFE (2021)

    16th May 202202 Mins Read
    Read More

    Film Review: SEANCE (2021)

    16th May 202202 Mins Read
    Read More

    Film Review: REPRESSION (a.k.a. Marionette) (2020)

    10th May 202204 Mins Read
    Read More

    Film Review: A FERAL WORLD (2020)

    10th May 202203 Mins Read
    Read More

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    Search The Website
    Recent Posts
    • North American Trailer Released For ‘Hollow’ Ahead Of Its Release on VOD & DVD
    • Wyrmwood: Apocalypse the Zombie thrill-ride sequel gets Home Entertainment release this May
    • HORROR SCREAMS PODCAST: Episode 29 – I Walked With ROB ZOMBIE
    • Film Review: ENDANGERED SPECIES (2021)
    • Film Review: JAKOB’S WIFE (2021)
    Archives
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.