Lake of Death (De dødes tjern): Movie Review

Playing tribute to several horror and slasher film classics such as "Evil Dead", "Lake of Death" failed to make any sense as it struggled to have a grasp of what it wanted to do. It may have jaw-dropping visuals and atmosphere but the head-scratching and dated narrative was a total disaster.

A year after her twin brother disappeared, Lillia and her friends head to their old family cabin to say their final goodbyes and move on. But soon after they arrive, eerie and unexplained events begin to occur. As the lines between reality and Lillian's nightmares blur, she must fight both strong internal and external forces in a fight to survive. Is a local deadly legend actually real or is the culprit behind the madness among them?

"Lake of Death" is a masterclass on how to work the camera to bring so much life, or in this case, captivating terror in a scene. Director Nini Bull Rabsahm was not only able to capture the alluring beauty but also the eerie nature of the film's isolated setting perfectly. Additionally, "Lake of Death" also featured unnerving visual effects that looked clean, crisp, and great. Unfortunately, that is where the positives for "Lake of Death" ends. Aside from its good base for a horror film, what was severely missing was a cohesive and clean narrative. Scenes just felt disjointed and disruptive if we're being frank and there were a lot of loop holes and weird developments that just didn't make any sense or semblance. For example, certain characters disappear and appear out of convenience even if the previous scene just stated the complete opposite of what's happening on-screen. Another thing we loved but just didn't get were the countless dark visions our lead character Lillia encountered throughout the movie. The black ooze was frightening in a visceral way but the film never explained or expounded why Lillia was being haunted by it. Was it from a supernatural source or simply out of her guilt? It just doesn't make sense after everything was finally revealed. Sadly, "Lake of Death" fell prey to a problem we're seeing in the genre recently - film's that are skin deep and without any substance.

Rating: 1 and a half reels





Why you should watch it:
- the visuals and cinematography were beautiful and alluring

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- there's no cohesive story