Zach Passero's "Wicked Lake" seems as if it will yet be another film inspired by Last House on the Left featuring four attractive college women besieged by a family of male weirdos while staying at a cabin by a lake. The four babes in this film seem like the kind you'd love to be in the company of during some wild orgy, but they're not..far from it. The male family, whose crippled patriarch(..proudly acknowledged as a war hero by his beloved sons) act as if they were afflicted with some sort of lunacy, the only member who seems even remotely innocent is Caleb(Marc Senter whose face is tucked away by hanging curls), but he's so petrified and psychologically damaged that even he is creepy. The ringleader of this vile foursome is Palmer(Will Keenan)who invites his family to their cabin and gets in thanks to booze he brought. Right away, Palmer forces his retarded brother to attack the girls, and it seems they are planning to sexually molest and degrade them, a signature of 70's exploitation. But, circumstances change when the clock strikes 12, Midnight, and they revert to pretty cannibalistic savages who eat human flesh with relish. Any man in their vicinity will become food on the menu. Unfortunately, two police, veteran coke-snorting, whiskey-guzzling, pot-smoking detective, Jake(Tim Thomerson) and his green partner Ray(Michael Esparza)are on the trail of these girls who leave grisly crime scenes behind, reminders of their ritualistic carnage. They partake in a ceremony, using a male victim, in order to remain immortal. Also, two hicks who work at a nearby gas station close to the lake(..the girls bought gas and goods from them)decide to attempt a chance at some action with them, meeting gruesome fates as well. These girls certainly enjoy the feasts and blood shed, very evident as they grin with blood-soaked faces as they feed.
Entering this I knew not what to expect, and was startled at it's copious amounts of naked flesh and graphic violence. I felt this is a film closer in spirit to the 70's than many horror flicks I've seen over the past 5 years or so. The female leads of this flick, Carlee Baker(Mary), Eryn Joslyn(Helen), Eve Mauro(Jill) & Robin Sydney(Ilene)really let their inhibitions go, embracing their naughty sisterhood, during scenes where they are bare and kissing each other, or feasting on the brain of a bound victim. It seems we're entering a time in this decade where filmmakers are able to hire young women willing to commit to seedier material and the characters written as are;and independent horror cinema(..thanks to more affordable equipment)is starting to resemble low budget stuff from the 70's and early 80's. The festival circuit and direct-to-DVD provides an avenue for such filmmakers willing and desiring to release more potent shockers bucking the tame trends of Hollywood fare. It's nice to see these natural looking females as well, and their willingness to bare all left me rather taken aback. They really get into their roles as savage beasts, who remain in their present form(..except for their lighted eyes)displaying glee and erotic joy embracing each other's bloody lips with a kiss. One scene, my favorite, has Robin Sydney(..as nude model Ilene, whose delicious body is shone right from the opening scene setting up her gang's eventual confrontation with the loonies later thanks to her gracious reaction to bizarre student Caleb, whose infatuation with her is outweighed by his freakish behavior)immediately kissing Caleb's bloody lip after he was socked across the face by his brother after disobeying him. They are drawn to blood which is quite expressed in various ways by the director. These gals are stunning predators who truly adhere to the phrase "looks can kill". It was a little too weird and obnoxious for my tastes, but it is certainly violent enough and an obvious draw will be the naked flesh by these four attractive leads. Should appeal to the exploitation crowd, I think, but the film's meandering narrative(..and desire to elicit giggles with it's warped and noxious sense of humor)might even alienate some of them. Still, it aims to please that crowd yearning for more..blood, babes, and boobs are all her in ample doses. The flesh eating might appeal to zombie fans because a man's nipple is ripped away along with other fleshy parts throughout his body. Another's brain is actually sucked from by a straw! And, another victim's remaining member(..it was partially removed during a war)is yanked off and spit out(OUCH).
Entering this I knew not what to expect, and was startled at it's copious amounts of naked flesh and graphic violence. I felt this is a film closer in spirit to the 70's than many horror flicks I've seen over the past 5 years or so. The female leads of this flick, Carlee Baker(Mary), Eryn Joslyn(Helen), Eve Mauro(Jill) & Robin Sydney(Ilene)really let their inhibitions go, embracing their naughty sisterhood, during scenes where they are bare and kissing each other, or feasting on the brain of a bound victim. It seems we're entering a time in this decade where filmmakers are able to hire young women willing to commit to seedier material and the characters written as are;and independent horror cinema(..thanks to more affordable equipment)is starting to resemble low budget stuff from the 70's and early 80's. The festival circuit and direct-to-DVD provides an avenue for such filmmakers willing and desiring to release more potent shockers bucking the tame trends of Hollywood fare. It's nice to see these natural looking females as well, and their willingness to bare all left me rather taken aback. They really get into their roles as savage beasts, who remain in their present form(..except for their lighted eyes)displaying glee and erotic joy embracing each other's bloody lips with a kiss. One scene, my favorite, has Robin Sydney(..as nude model Ilene, whose delicious body is shone right from the opening scene setting up her gang's eventual confrontation with the loonies later thanks to her gracious reaction to bizarre student Caleb, whose infatuation with her is outweighed by his freakish behavior)immediately kissing Caleb's bloody lip after he was socked across the face by his brother after disobeying him. They are drawn to blood which is quite expressed in various ways by the director. These gals are stunning predators who truly adhere to the phrase "looks can kill". It was a little too weird and obnoxious for my tastes, but it is certainly violent enough and an obvious draw will be the naked flesh by these four attractive leads. Should appeal to the exploitation crowd, I think, but the film's meandering narrative(..and desire to elicit giggles with it's warped and noxious sense of humor)might even alienate some of them. Still, it aims to please that crowd yearning for more..blood, babes, and boobs are all her in ample doses. The flesh eating might appeal to zombie fans because a man's nipple is ripped away along with other fleshy parts throughout his body. Another's brain is actually sucked from by a straw! And, another victim's remaining member(..it was partially removed during a war)is yanked off and spit out(OUCH).