Lake Dead (2007)

Just to get it out of the way, I seem to be one of the only people here who understands that "low budget" isn't an actual criticism. A LOT of things can be done on a shoestring these days, and "low budget" doesn't mean a movie is bad any more than "big budget" means a movie is great.That being said, I didn't think this was that badly done. Sure, you're working with no-name actors in archetypal characters who aren't particularly polished at their craft. And, of course, it's entirely predictable just like you know it will be simply by reading the synopsis of it before watching/renting. At least they when they shot "day for night" everything wasn't blue like in the first three movies I tried to watch tonight and stopped before getting 3 minutes in.The problem with this movie - as was the problem was similar movies and others I've seen of late - is that they can't resist trying to slap a little epilogue onto the end of the film that makes no sense. For example, lets say you've been watching a movie where a female character has multiple rendezvous with men during the movie, and after everything is tied up at the end, they tack on a couple of minutes where it's revealed that the female is actually a guy, equipment intact. Because it's obvious that one of the guys earlier in the film would have noticed that, it makes that trick ending insulting to the viewer. This actual circumstance did not happen at the end of this movie, but something equally insulting did.As in other films, I would have been perfectly happy to give this one 5 stars, but when the writer/director tries to be too cute at the end, I've invariably been left having to knock it down a notch or two.A decent journey with an ultimately ridiculous destination leaves me no choice but to not recommend this movie.

Most people had already seen this film by the time it was awarded one of the 7 scariest horror films of 2008, but if not you most likely saw this movie genius on the Syfy channel which has been a gold standard for horror films for the past decade.Lake dead is not your average teenagers go on a road trip, messed up incest family tries to murder and rape them, American success story. In fact Lake dead has many plot twists that will leave you wanting more grandma-son heated make out scenes. One thing I did not like about the movie was the underling promotion of the Gieco caveman throughout this gripping horror film. From the RV breaking down to the raping of innocent teenage girls, Gieco clearly wanted another way to promote their insurance company.Lake Dead might not save you 15% on your car insurance but is worthy of a Syfy prime time showing.

Drivel about a couple of (admittedly hot) sisters and their stepsister who inherit an old motel out in the middle of nowhere. The stepsister arrives early to check out the place, and is violently attacked, and then thrown into a lake and drown. The two sisters arrive the next day with friends of theirs and begin the usual fun-in-the-sun activities by the lake, but when two of their number disappear and they go looking for them, they find them dead, hanging from a tree. They are then the targets of a couple of inbred hicks who apparently are distant relatives of these girls, and are trying to "keep it in the family", so to speak. Scenes and ideas lifted from Friday the 13th, The Hills Have Eyes, Motel Hell, Mother's Day, etc. thrown randomly about, but this movie is without any charm or style of its own. The inbred hicks, the lakeside setting, the bad cop, the elderly mother who's responsible for nearly everything are all present and accounted for, but it's all shown here with little enthusiasm or style, so what we're left with is a veritable checklist of horror movie clichés with only a few brief scenes of any real suspense or creativity. It's well photographed, and I liked when the guy beat one of the killers over the head with a wooden chair while he was still tied to it, and a couple of other scenes, but as soon as the movie would come to life, it would quickly fall back into a familiar predictable pattern of said earlier movies in the very next scene. The two inbred killers look like mechanics in need of a shower and shave, nothing more. So no effect was put into their makeup, that aspect ended up being very unconvincing. The climax wasn't very memorable either, as the film makers completely screwed up the killing of the bad cop, we don't even see it on screen, nor do we find out if the antihero survives or not. Kelsey Wedeen is cute and likable and fun to watch, but she can't carry this entire movie by herself.

After their grandfather is violently killed, three dysfunctional sisters and their friends take a vacation to the old man's hotel on the lake, a part of their inheritance. Once there, however, they're stalked down by a group of murderous psychopaths who have taken up residence in the grandfather's former home.With a plot reminiscent of a great '70s Italian slasher (like Bay of Blood, perhaps), I was very much looking forward to this. As usual, the poster was pretty cool, but I still didn't have my hopes set high. Lucky for me, with hopes set low, there's less room for them to fall when I'm inevitably disappointed. First off, the biggest flaw with the film: The acting. I just don't get it. There are thousands upon thousands of simultaneously talented and attractive actors/actresses in Hollywood and beyond that wouldn't refuse a role in a theatrically released horror flick with a $2.5 million budget. Instead, we get a reasonably attractive cast without enough talent to fill a proverbial thimble. The writing is terrible and unoriginal, and the dialogue is worsened with these actors. The setting, however, is absolutely beautiful at the southern California ranch in Santa Clarita. First-timer George Bessudo worked well with the film, creating some good suspense and utilizing some cringeworthy gore. Unfortunately, teamed with the amateurish script and embarrassing cast, it turned out to be a rather muddled mess. The script & acting cannot be made up for, and the majority of the film feels like a subpar combination of The Hills Have Eyes, Cabin by the Lake (remember that one?), and any lame teens-in-the-woods horror with Rob Zombie's Michael Myers as the killers. I'm left with just one question to ask: 'Where did the other $2.4 million go from the projected budget of $2.5 million? Booze & hookers? If so, I would've asked the latter to replace the current cast.Final verdict: 2.5/10. Dreadful!