The House by the Lake (1977)

A sleazy lothario dentist has brought a chick to his country retreat, under the false pretense that there's a party, when he really just wants her to be his next conquest. She's none to pleased on hearing this and an argument ensues. However, their argument pales when they are menaced by a quartet of scuzzy degenerates, who proceed to turn their weekend into a nightmare...Death Weekend is a misleading film, in the sense that any fan of exploitation will probably feel short changed, as in regards to content, it's pretty tame indeed.A film more interested in character exploration, it also takes its time to build to its effective and tense climax.I went into Death Weekend expecting a nasty exploitative shocker but what I got was a solid enough well made film in its own right.A recommended film for those seeking something just a little bit more offbeat, but again, exploitation fans should be aware that this will not be what they're expecting, and some may be underwhelmed by its slow burning style and tame content. I quite liked it overall though, and found its climax fairly gripping. A solid enough revenge film overall, and worth checking out.

I really was not expecting anything spectacular when going into this film. By the time i'd seen this, i'd seen virtually all of the murder/revenge films and just about everything that involved a group of chaotic thugs who terrorize some normal people, who in turn end up fighting back or trying to escape, and they pretty much all were cheap exploitative dribble that was wholly unrealistic and poorly layed out. This movie on the other hand does some things differently that elevate it above pretty much all the rest aside from "Deliverance" and "Straw Dogs" which I'm not sure fall into the same category anyways. A movie like this can never surpass "Straw dogs" who's plot allowed for much more meaning and emotional depth, done so perfectly, where the violence also inevitably seemed more plausible the way it played out.The film opens with a very spectacular car chase where the thugs are harassing the dentist and his model companion who is at the wheel. Pretty soon I was saying to myself "come on.... no other cars use this road?" and then CRASH. Finally the scene ends with the thugs landing in a ditch as the dentist and model drive off, having completely disgraced them, setting off a desperate need for revenge in the thug leader. The film had delivered a very convincing opening act, and from this point I had the sense that this director knew what he was doing.It' the little things that are all at play which end up making the film much more convincing than lesser efforts. For example, when the leader opens up pretending to be nice and reasonable with the dentist in a very sardonic way, and his 3 comrades are snickering at it, as characters they all seem so believable, and this scene really does get across a foreboding sense of bad things to come, as we have already been shown just how fierce the leader can be.One scene that I found to be a huge detractor was where the drunken gas store workers were killed by the thugs with the dentists boat. Firstly it was very coincidental that they borrowed the dentist's boat at this propitious moment, but more importantly, the way that they taunted and tormented the dentist and model, and the way tension grew and grew was so successful, that it seemed very much like a situation of bad luck, and one thing leading to another, though when we see them so callously murder these 2 people on the boat, it destroys much of that very well produced tension, because it means they were going to kill the dentist and model from the very beginning and the fate was sealed.The unfolding chain of death at the end was again, much better executed than in most movies of this type, though still as usual, a little contrived that the shed trap would work so perfectly, that the 2nd last thug would stumble into quicksand and die, while the model avoided the same fate. One thing that I think certainly could have been better handled was the transition from night to day. I would have loved to see shots of the sun rising, of the model shivering in the night, waiting for morning. Regardless, the final showdown between the model and the leader is quite intense, and I love the added irony that the wounded dentist ran off to the car the night earlier after being shot, but died in the car, as he had no car keys, though luckily for the model she learned how to hot-wire cars.The ending shot of the movie can only be described as extremely bizarre, and its so very perverted in the a sado-masochistic sense of what it implies. In terms of drama and meaning, as with the rest of the film, it really does not delve beyond the mere surface, but it does serve as a final jolt to the viewer saying: Not a masterpiece, but this movie definitely has enough thought and effort put into it to place it above average sleazy schlock like "Last House On The Left" or "I Spit On Your Grave"

This is a lesser-known entry into the backwoods brutality genre of films started by the classic DELIVERANCE. Derivative exploitation, but pretty good nonetheless. Please note that a majority of the reviews listed for this film (also known as THE HOUSE BY THE LAKE) are littered with errors in the who, what and where of the storyline... so let me set the record straight, at least based on my own viewing of the rare Japanese VHS release. Fashion model Diane (BRENDA VACCARO) accompanies her playboy-swinger-dentist friend Harry (CHUCK SHAMATA) to his country house to join several others for a weekend-long party. On the way, he allows her to take the wheel of his souped-up Corvette and she challenges a gang of hillbilly hoodlums into a dangerous road chase, which ends with the four miscreants crashing their hot rod Camaro off the road and into a creek bed. The Vette leaves them in the dust... speeding away. The menacing gang leader Lep (veteran DON STROUD) swears vengeance on the pair, especially the woman driver. Up at the house, Diane is observed by Harry (the voyeur) via a two-way mirror taking off her clothes and nude in the shower. Nice guy this Harry. Not surprisingly, Diane soon discovers that there are no other guests coming up to the lake for the big "party" weekend. She also realizes that sleazy Harry just wants a quickie sex romp and another notch on his belt. Meanwhile, the psychotics in the Camaro are causing havoc all over town, nearly killing a local man of the law, in search of the two in the black Corvette. Of course, the vicious thugs eventually arrive at the lake house, terrorizing Diane and Harry, and really begin messing up the place. Two of the gang members even take Harry's expensive speedboat for a spin out on the lake and kill some drunken hicks in a rowboat, who were actually on their way to help the endangered couple. When Harry the dentist is revealed to be a bit of a wimp, the chaos really begins to ramp up. Diane in desperation, takes matters into her own hands and begins to exact her revenge, but not before she is sexually assaulted by Lep, the crazed ringleader... and dry-humped by one the creepy gang flunkies while locked in one of the rooms of the house. Strangely enough, the ending of this film has a bit of an ambiguous tone. You'll have to watch it for yourself to see what I'm talking about. Recommended backwoods brutal shocker that is destined for Z-Grade glory. ///thechooper

I'd never heard of William Fruet when I saw this film with Brenda Viccaro and Don Stroud back in '76 when it was released but I was struck by the resemblance to Sam Peckinpah's Straw dogs in both the story line and the violent action. None of the other faces have stuck with me to any great extent but, as other reviewers here have noted, Viccaro and Stroud stand out in their respective performances. Yes, the story will appeal to the more politically correct shoot'em/beat'em up fan (if indeed any exist), as the final message is that an independent woman will take no guff off a bunch of nasty, randy dudes and there is truth to the old adage, "Hell hath no fury like a woman...pi**ed." Stroud and Viccaro do indeed make the film. The sleaze ball orthodontist who just wants to have an orgy for the weekend and gets his come-upence from a pack of even sleazier balls, veteran character actor Chuck Shamata is the only other character I can remember. But, like the earlier Peckinpah classic, Straw Dogs, this film does stick in the memory.