The Lake (1998)

A nurse returns to her home town to care for her dying father, and finds everyone she knows there has undergone a bizarre personality change.

Director:

David Jackson (as David S. Jackson)

Writers:

J.D. Feigelson (story), Alan Brennert (teleplay)

Stars:

Yasmine Bleeth, Linden Ashby, Stanley Anderson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yasmine Bleeth	...	Jackie Ivers
Linden Ashby	...	Dr. Jeff Chapman
Stanley Anderson	...	Steve Ivers
Haley Joel Osment	...	Dylan Hydecker
Caroline Lagerfelt	...	Mayor Louise Terry
Susanna Thompson	...	Denise Hydecker
Dewey Weber	...	Officer Gary Reed
Matt Beck	...	Officer Mills (as Matthew Beck)
Robert Prosky	...	Herb
Marion Ross	...	Maggie
Michael Winters	...	Dr. Braden
Carey Scott	...	The Man
Marc Gomes	...	Lt. Governor Chandler
Geoffrey Rivas	...	Chief Ramirez
David Dunard	...	Lt. Frank Thompson (as David S. Dunard)

Storyline

Jackie Ivers is a Los Angeles nurse who returns home to the small town of San Vicente to find that her friends and family have taken on bizarrely different personalities. Jackie notices that everyone who goes into the town's lake come out different. As the movie progresses, Jackie witnesses what is happening to everyone around her as she is kidnapped by people from a parallel world which is the duplicate to Earth but is now polluted and the ozone layer gone. In order to survive, the duplicates intend to take over Earth. The entrance to the duplicate Earth called the vortex, which are located in major bodies of water, ponds, and lakes.

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Plot Keywords:

child gagged | woman in jeopardy | nurse | lake | parallel world | 

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Taglines:

Beneath the surface lies terror.

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Genres:

Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Quotes

Jackie: Maggie, I need your help. Everybody goes into the lake and comes out different.
Maggie: You sure got that right honey.

User Reviews

Derivative yet creepy, good fun

Cross `Invasion of the Body Snatchers' with `Journey to the Far Side of the Sun' and you get `The Lake,' a better-than-average foray into televised science-fiction fantasy.

Instead of emotionless pod-people, these invaders are exact opposites of their earthbound twins, doppelgangers from a poisoned alternate earth that are repopulating our world through an idyllic portal in the languid waters of a California lake. That is the premise of this creepy little ditty from network TV, starring former-`Baywatch' babe Yasmine Bleeth, Oscar-nominee Haley Joel Osment (`The Sixth Sense') and TV alumni Robert Prosky (`Hill Street Blues') and Marion Ross (`Happy Days').

As a sci-fi fan who considers `Invasion of the Body Snatchers' sacred, I was pleasantly surprised at how easily this derivative tele-chiller captured my interest and managed to build suspense right through to the end. Credit director David Jackson (`Atomic Train'), who appears to treat the genre with genuine respect while treading a well-traveled road. Buy the premise and you'll buy the film.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 February 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

A rettegés tava

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dennis Hammer Productions, NBC Studios, Peter Frankovich Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1