Writer: Daniel P. Coughlin
Director: George Bessudo
Cast: Cyrus Alexander, James C. Burns, Ryan Coughlin, Edwin Craig, Kelsey Crane, Jim Devoti, Tara Gerar, Alex A. Quinn, Malea Richardson, Christian Stokes, Trevor Torseth, Vanessa Viola, Kelsey Wedeen, Dan Woods
Rating: Unrated
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: March 18, 2008

I didn’t know exactly what I’d be getting into when I reviewed movies from Liongate’s “8 Movies to Die For” of 2008. One of those movies is Lake Dead. I’d never even heard anything about the making of this movie nor had I seen any of the actors in anything before, by my recollection. Still, I went into this, curious to find out whether Lake Dead was any good or not. I guess you could say that the premise for Lake Dead was somewhat terrifying (in a real life sense) when it really comes down to thinking about how the events of the movie unfold. Still, it’s pretty clear this isn’t a large budget affair and the place where the film crew apparently skimped seems to be in the acting budget.

By B movie standards, the actors are great. Some of the performances might even be deemed exceptional. By standard cinema, it’s pretty clear to see why these actors are starring in Lake Dead and not a high budget film. While the acting didn’t ruin the movie, it also didn’t compliment it. Still, this movie does give you that fun kind of romp you experience when watching somewhat substandard horror flicks. If you’re a fan of the genre, this should be watched at least once, just so you can say you’ve experienced Lake Dead.

Release Information:
Lake Dead was released as one of the films in the After Dark Horrorfest’s “8 Films to Die For” of 2008. This is the second edition of the eight-disc set. The film had a limited release in April of 2007 and was a part of the After Dark Horrorfest in July of 2007, but unless you were living in L.A. then chances are you didn’t hear about the release of this film until Lionsgate decided to put this out as a part of the After Dark Horrorfest Set.

On March 18, 2008, Lionsgate released the set which includes Lake Dead, Crazy Eights, Borderland, Unearthed, Nightmare Man, Tooth and Nail, The Deaths of Ian Stone, and Mulberry St. This set is available for $127.98 at DVD Empire and $139.99 on Amazon. The movie can be purchased on its own, at both sites, for under $20.

The Lake Dead Plot
Lake Dead personifies every person’s nightmare, they never knew they had. I can’t reveal what that nightmare is because it’d ruin the movie. Just know that once you watch it you’ll realize you’d never want this story to unfold in your real life and the reality that it probably does happen in rural West Virginia is more than enough to make you start counting your relatives. I know I’m talking in circles, but you just need to watch Lake Dead to get my point.

The movie starts with three sisters, Briellle (Kelsey Crane), Kelly (Kelsey Wedeen), and Samantha “Sam” (Tara Gerard) Lake. When their grandfather, Willard, a grandfather they didn’t know they had, dies (they have a somewhat strained relationship with their father, John (Dan Woods)) they find out they have inherited a motel, a small plot of land and a lake. Excited to find out about their inheritance, they ignore their father’s warnings telling them not to go. Ready to have some fun in the back country, the girls decide to head out to their new property with the friends Bill (Alex A. Walsh), Amy (Vanessa Viola), Ben (Jim Devoti) and Tanya (Malea Richardson). Brielle and Kelly are going to drive an RV to the Lake while Samantha goes on ahead. Unfortunately, when they get there, Sam is dead, and they don’t know it.

The motel is run by an odd, old lady who seems too sweet for her own good, Gloria (Pat McNeely). What the group of twenty-somethings does not know is that there are two, freaky looking, homicidal men, with excessive amounts of strength who want most of the group to die. While they’re running for their lives, the only help seems to be in the form of the backwoods Sheriff, Chuck (James L. Burns). I’d hate to say anymore, but just know that some people die. Okay, a lot of people die. It’s a pretty skeezy movie, but it is worth watching in that crappy horror kind of way.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
Lionsgate went all out for the Lake Dead DVD visual quality. Anamorphic widescreen is available at a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. It’s enhanced for 16×9 televisions. Lake Dead may seem like a cheap horror film, but it doesn’t look like one in terms of the video quality. The picture comes through clearly with sharp contrast and bright colors. Lake Dead looks better than it is, so appreciate the quality. At least it isn’t a bad movie with a bad picture! It’s just a bad movie.

The audio for Lake Dead is available in English Dolby Digital 5.1. Closed Captioning is available for the hearing impaired and subtitles are also available in both English and Spanish. Everything comes through loud and clear. No need to volume toggle. The sound is as good as the picture.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
The only bonus is 20 webisodes of Miss Horrorfest. That’s about all that’s included here.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
Lake Dead isn’t a movie you can take seriously. It has a creepy plot if you think about it happening in your life. It’s somewhat unrealistic though it could happen and might have already happened in your favorite backwoods locale. If you like bad horror then you’ll like Lake Dead. Otherwise, I suggest renting this just to see if it is worth your time.

Overall Rating:

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