Coming soon!
Cast:
Carlee Baker as Mary
Eryn Joslyn as Helen
Robin Sydney as Ilene
Eve Mauro as Jill
Frank Birney as Sir Jim
Michael Esparza as Ray
Will Keenan as Palmer
Marc Senter as Caleb
Tim Thomerson as Jake
Review:
If endless boobs and blood are your idea of a good movie, look no further than Wicked Lake. When the film is not masquerading as a lesbian porno, it is actually a decent horror flick. It initially sounds like your average horror – four college girls take a road trip to a secluded cabin in the woods and are harassed by perverts. Twist is, the ladies are not what they seem and turn the tables on their abusers. The first half of the movie can be an ordeal to watch, but things look up once the carnage kicks in. The leads are good, the gore is great, and most of the dark humor works. Still, sloppy narrative and misplaced erotica destroy a lot of the movie’s credibility.
Not surprisingly, Lake opens with a pair of boobs. We see a nude model posing for art students, including socially-awkward emo boy, Caleb. After an unsuccessful attempt at intimacy with the model, Caleb tells his older brothers about the girl and her three co-ed friends. Meanwhile, the four girls head to a cabin they are renting in the woods. Soon Caleb’s brothers and a wheelchair-bound uncle show up at the cabin with every intention of raping and violating the women. After a few failed escape attempts, the girls have one last trick up their sleeve: at the stroke of midnight, they transform into flesh-eating monsters and have their revenge on the men.
During the first thirty minutes, the four leads are kind of annoying. They spend most of their screen time being naked and/or making out with each other. I know that statement just made a lot of ears perk up, but for anyone who cares about narrative – or who doesn’t have a penis – those scenes are just awkward and boring. Then there are fifteen minutes of the girls being helpless victims to the intruders before the clock strikes midnight and the good stuff starts. This is when the actresses really shine, as twisted blood-craving succubae. Eryn Joslyn and Eve Mauro are particularly entertaining gore whores here.
The male actors are good too, especially Marc Senter as Caleb, the crybaby who inexplicably dresses like Prince, and Will Keenan (best known from Tromeo and Juliet) as Caleb’s abusive brother. Frank Birney is also creepy and hilarious as Sir Jim, a perverted old war veteran who desperately needs a BJ. May fans can expect cameos from Angela Bettis and Lucky McKee’s father, Mike (who looks remarkably like James Karen, by the way). And Ministry front man Al Jourgensen, who scored the film, also makes a brief cameo.
Director Zach Passero does a good job behind the lens. He has a few great shots, and knows how to use the camera to enhance the film’s black sense of humor. On the other hand, Adam Rockoff and Chris Sivertson’s script needs tweaking. They really go overboard with the nude lesbian make-out sessions. Since when do women – or ravenous monsters – sit around naked and kiss each other? This was clearly pulled from somebody’s wet dream. I have nothing against nudity in horror but this was obviously included to please men, which completely negates the female empowerment theme suggested throughout the film.
Another problem with the script is lack of exposition. For instance, two police detectives randomly show up in somebody’s cellar and we eventually realize they are investigating the four girls. If they had included just one scene prior showing whose house it is, that would have been very helpful. It also would have been nice to see more of the girls’ murderous exploits prior to this night. To their credit, Rockoff and Sivertson do offer some amusing dialogue and clever black humor. I also like how they never say if the girls are vampires or witches or what. They seem to simply be monsters in human form, which is much cooler and the writers were wise to leave the question open.
This movie boasts some great gore effects that belie its low budget. Some of the most memorable scenes involve a microwave, a straw, and a “nub.” I shall say no more for fear of ruining it. There are two or three scenes where the gore is implied but not shown, which was obviously due to budgetary reasons. Still, it is better to imply something horrible than to show something half-assed.
It is a shame the first half of the film is so dull because the second half has a lot going for it. The full-frontal nudity is used for shock value and just makes the movie seem trashy. It is not even shocking enough to appeal to fans of exploitative grindhouse pictures. The strong female performances and black humor are downplayed by the gratuitous sexuality, as well as the feeble narrative structure. Wicked Lake certainly exceeded my expectations, but it could have been so much more.
