Review: Wicked Lake (2008)

Director: Zach Passero | 95 minutes | horror | Actors: Carlee Baker, Frank Birneym, Michael Esparza, Eryn Joslyn, Will Keenan, Eve Mauro, Marc Senter, Robin Sydney, Tim Thomerson, Angela Bettis, J.D. Brown, Mike McKee, Phoenix Rae, Justin Stone, Luke Y. Thompson

Completely stupid horror film without good horror, without decent story, without proper actors and full of nonsense and completely unnecessary female nudity. The latter has undoubtedly been incorporated into the film by the makers, when they realize that their baking might become particularly bad. By showing the naked bodies of the female characters, they have hoped that the (male) viewer would be less critical and would judge the film more positively. Unfortunately for them, that didn’t work out. “Wicked Lake” in its entirety is just another example of clichéd and amateurish filming without any hint of originality. Why are movie companies willing to invest in movies like this and then distribute them? Even for direct to DVD feed, “Wicked Lake” is not to be seen. It is all very sad: the characters are no more than sketches of characters and it does not really help that a cast does not make any sense. In part they may be clumsy amateurs, but also those with more experience in front of the camera in various TV series only throw their hat a little.

Admittedly, the scenario does not give them much attention. Sometimes it looks a bit like tag: the four men dominate the women for a while, until the clock strikes midnight and the true nature of the women (hint: they are witches) emerges, after which the tables are turned. An idiotic story that, even within the often broader credibility criteria of the genre, stands out for its lack of inspiration. Did director Zach Pessaro really think he had gold in his hands with this material? It is hard to imagine. His own commitment is also minimal and the production value is minimal: the scenes often do not fit together well, every logic is lost and the camera work is clearly carried out at the cheapest price. The sets and lighting are also far from writing home about. Perhaps the attraction for the target group (read: teenage boys) is that the four protagonists, Robin Sydney as Ilene in the lead, get rid of excessive clothing and there is even a totally out of the blue free scene between the ladies. As self-respecting women, why have they not refused this transparent attempt at exploitation?

The two police officers who tracked down the four women are so laughable that the idea that “Wicked Lake” is actually a satirical comedy will come to the fore. But even that was not to be. What could be more deadly to a horror movie than describing it as “boring”? Even the above average music of “Alien J” (Al Jourgensen) from the band Ministry (the only positive thing about this bad product) cannot change that.