Bone Lake (2025)
Directed by: Mercedes Bryce Morgan
Premise: A couple (Marco Pigossi and Maddie Hasson) rents a lavish lakeside property for a weekend getaway but find that the house is double booked with another couple (Alex Roe and Andra Nechita). As the weekend progresses, things are not all that they seem.
What Works: Bone Lake is reminiscent of films such as Death Game and its remake Knock Knock as well as vacation horror pictures such as Tourist Trap and The Rental. Bone Lake is part horror and part suspense but the filmmakers approach the material with a sense of humor. The opening scene presents a pair of bloody deaths but then cuts to aspiring author Diego pitching a lousy novel idea to his girlfriend Sage. The opening sequence figures into the story later in a way that is clever. The relationship between Sage and Diego is complicated and it’s well acted by Marco Pigossi and Maddie Hasson. These two are unhappy but they won’t say that out loud; we can see their discontent in their nonverbal communication. Most of Bone Lake is a seduction with Will and Cin trying to manipulate Sage and Diego and break them up. The seduction scenes are playful and credible. Actors Alex Roe and Andra Nechita throw themselves into the roles of Will and Cin. They are sexy and dangerous and those qualities mingle together. There are some effective editing choices that heighten the tension and the lighting and camerawork are consistently impressive.
What Doesn’t: It’s obvious from the opening that Will and Cin are bad news. The filmmakers seem to know that and give up on trying to fool the audience. Halfway through the movie the story flashes backward to reveal part of the truth. From that point the audience must figure out if Will and Cin are just toying with the other couple or if their intentions are more malevolent but it’s pretty clear that the endgame is for the worse. When Will and Cin’s motive is finally revealed it’s a bit silly. That’s usually the case in these films. Slasher movies from the 1980s were notorious for their dumb psychoanalysis which was just a pretense for the violence and that’s the case here.
Bottom Line: Bone Lake is clever if not smart. The scares and suspense are satisfying and the character work by the screenwriter and the actors elevates the material.
Episode: #1070 (October 26, 2025)