Lake Dead (2007) User Reviews

Nothing Really New To Offer, But Not Horrible Either

[gavin6942 · 5/10 · 10 November 2007]

What we have here is the story of three sisters who inherit a motel fro ma grandfather they've never met. Their father, who is also estranged but in contact periodically, warns them not to go, but they ignore him and bring some friends along for a camping expedition. Your father may be a jerk and a drunk girls, but on this occasion he may just actually be right... grandfathers in creepy motels are something to avoid.

Although I was going to see this film anyway as part of the After Dark Horrorfest, what caught my attention was the high rating on the Internet Movie Database, where it was getting a ten from more than half of the voters, making it the highest rated horror film ever. One suspects that what happened is the director, the cast and all their friends came and voted ten, because as soon as it hit theaters, the rating dropped like a rock (and no one in their right mind could consider this anything like a ten). I hope this didn't fool too many people into going (although you should support independent film).

When I first left the theater, I thought to myself this film was alright. Sure, it had some really cheesy one-liners, some poor acting at parts and a digitally-added blood spurt in the beginning I thought was dumb (and a weak version of the beginning of "Headspace"). But overall it was okay, if you like young people being chased through the woods by thug killers with hatchets. I love that sort of thing, you know?

The more I thought about it, though, I just kept thinking it had nothing really special in it. Nothing that makes it different from any other film in the genre. Some critics say it's too much like the X-Files episode "Home" (though I can't say for sure from memory). I saw glimpses of "Cabin by the Lake". The old "the cop is in on the scheme" bit is way overdone. The "family secret" meme is overdone (but still works if done right). And the whole idea of lunatic inbred killers is just something 2007 was too full of with more "Wrong Turn" and "Hills Have Eyes" sequels.

The plot in general has some holes if you think about it. Why did they want the bloodline pure? Did it somehow give them an advantage? It would appear not, with Cain and Abel the way they were. Why did the twins kill people? I mean, I can understand not mating with them, but why kill them? Just rent them a room like anyone else... at least in the case of Sam (the adopted sister).

I could complain about how all the women in this film were weak and if the men didn't keep rescuing them they'd all be dead or worse. I'm a big fan of the "final girl" idea and horror films making women the stronger sex, but I guess we have to have at least one film with a tough male hero.

Again, if you like thugs with hatchets, this film is good but nothing special. It does have some drugs and a rather amusing sex scene. So there's something. But if you're not planning on seeing all eight of the After Dark films, don't make this one a priority... you'll be disappointed.

Wrong Turn On The Left At The Lake

[louis-170 · 5/10 · 12 November 2009]

Yes, a lot of clichés and a lot of ideas from other movies - "Wrong Turn", "Last House On The Left", "The Hills Have Eyes"... and many more... And of course all of them have one starting point: original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1974).

Anyway, scenes were solid, camera was OK, even acting wasn't bad. We have young, good looking girls and boys, we have sex and violence... funny and stupid scenes, gore, freaking family... everything you can expect from B-Movie slasher.

Anyway, not expect something special, and something new... but you can take some beer and you can enjoy in this movie.

"Lake Dead" 5/10

The sad thing is the movie spoils itself.

[twoforthelate · 4/10 · 20 November 2007]

Alright, I've seen worse. The problem is this one had a 2.5 million dollar budget. What happened? Did the producers try to shoot it on a weekend?? Someone got so busy blowing smoke they thought they were reinventing the way a car rolls; we get it, we really do- stop spinning your wheels turbo. Screwed up people, killing and screwing stupid kids. let's deal with that and leave our twists and turns for the end.

Twenty minutes could've been cut off this movie and possibly saved it; unfortunately, it can only afford to lose ten and still be considered a feature; however, that's ten viewers could have back so here's some suggestions for the DVD release. Opening sequence where we give everything away? Why?? Gratuitous sex scene with no Tn'A? Why?? Can we get stoned and listen to this song? Why?? I don't need to see two fools flirt, while ones girlfriend is havin' a snooze to understand what goes on when they "get wood." I get this from a nice job of acting by Vanessa Viola as Amy. Moreover, the sinister look as Ben and Brielle leave the motel, from Grandma? WHY!!!! Are you idiots? There's ten minutes gone in the first fifteen; furthermore, some of it was a SPOILER IN YOUR OWN MOVIE!!

By the way I've seen far worse acting in better films. There were a few decent performances here, James Burns is fun as the sheriff with some nice campy one-liners, with the exception of, "let's equalize this." I also thought Trevor Torseth as Kane stumbling out from behind the tree exuded an intensity and malice not characteristic of bad acting. But if there is a sequel, put a bag over his head or a mask; I'd love to find out how much the producers saved on their make-up budget. Hope they had a nice luncheon in Beverly Hills. NEXT TIME SPEND YOUR MONEY SMARTER!!

Overall this film suffered by not embracing the "stupid" convention of horror films. Too many people in this production took themselves far too seriously, from Actors all the way up to Producers.

Oh wait! I almost forgot, " The Family tree." HA! PLEASE!!!!! Or did we have to have it so, "the family f*** fest" line would work. In retrospect I'm not sure if the INCEST HAMMER was sufficient.

Cliché The Movie Part 77: This time it rips off itself

[doc6699 · 1/10 · 18 July 2008]

Wow. This movie is painful. Unfortunately, the best performance comes from the former Reality TV star. The acting is awful. I kept getting the feeling that this movie was made by a few guys who wanted to get some chicks naked, play with guns, and screw around with fake blood. This movie is what gives the horror genre such a bad stigma. It strives to be camp, but only succeeds at being terrible. To make matters worse it's completely unoriginal. The guys that made this seemed like they just wanted to recreate some of their favorite slasher horror scenes, then just threw a couple of rape scenes in for that extra shock factor. I'm two into 2007 Horrorfest, and I have yet to be impressed. Maybe they changed judges because this movie is nothing compared to any of 2006 8 films. Don't watch this movie, it may ruin your day.

A checklist of horror movie clichés

[Zbigniew_Krycsiwiki · 2/10 · 23 October 2008]

Drivel about a couple of (admittedly hot) sisters and their stepsister who inherit an old motel out in the middle of nowhere. The stepsister arrives early to check out the place, and is violently attacked, and then thrown into a lake and drown. The two sisters arrive the next day with friends of theirs and begin the usual fun-in-the-sun activities by the lake, but when two of their number disappear and they go looking for them, they find them dead, hanging from a tree. They are then the targets of a couple of inbred hicks who apparently are distant relatives of these girls, and are trying to "keep it in the family", so to speak.

Scenes and ideas lifted from Friday the 13th, The Hills Have Eyes, Motel Hell, Mother's Day, etc. thrown randomly about, but this movie is without any charm or style of its own. The inbred hicks, the lakeside setting, the bad cop, the elderly mother who's responsible for nearly everything are all present and accounted for, but it's all shown here with little enthusiasm or style, so what we're left with is a veritable checklist of horror movie clichés with only a few brief scenes of any real suspense or creativity.

It's well photographed, and I liked when the guy beat one of the killers over the head with a wooden chair while he was still tied to it, and a couple of other scenes, but as soon as the movie would come to life, it would quickly fall back into a familiar predictable pattern of said earlier movies in the very next scene.

The two inbred killers look like mechanics in need of a shower and shave, nothing more. So no effect was put into their makeup, that aspect ended up being very unconvincing.

The climax wasn't very memorable either, as the film makers completely screwed up the killing of the bad cop, we don't even see it on screen, nor do we find out if the antihero survives or not. Kelsey Wedeen is cute and likable and fun to watch, but she can't carry this entire movie by herself.

Can I Please Have These 90 Minutes Back?

[WizardOfGore · 2/10 · 12 November 2007]

I look forward to Horrorfest each year, and I always expect a few clunkers in the group, but this one was truly awful. You can see the plot points coming a mile away, and it clearly plays to the teenage T&A crowd. While I don't mind a dose of that in a movie, the horror elements also have to be there for me to enjoy the flick, and in this case, there is just nothing there.

The deaths are a bit creative but, again, nothing that hasn't been done 100 time already. Also, there are enough plot holes to drive a truck through, and a few of the scenes and lines had the audience laughing out loud.

Wait for them to show it on TNT.

Lake Dreadful

[movieman_kev · 2/10 · 18 June 2008]

Three sisters, upon learning that their Grandfather that they never knew has recently died and left them a motel, decide to take a road trip with some friends to the property not knowing that some deviant lunatics are awaiting them there.

Imagine "The Hills have Eyes" and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre". Now imagine if those films had no wit, no finesse, and were deathly boring. OK now you have a good idea what to expect if you're forced to endure this crappy little film. Easily one of the worst of the second crop of "8 films to die for" that I've seen thus far (I've seen 4 of them including this)

Eye Candy: Malea Richardson provides the T&A

My Grade: D-

A decent journey to a ridiculous destination

[cobbler88 · 14 August 2011]

Just to get it out of the way, I seem to be one of the only people here who understands that "low budget" isn't an actual criticism. A LOT of things can be done on a shoestring these days, and "low budget" doesn't mean a movie is bad any more than "big budget" means a movie is great.

That being said, I didn't think this was that badly done. Sure, you're working with no-name actors in archetypal characters who aren't particularly polished at their craft. And, of course, it's entirely predictable just like you know it will be simply by reading the synopsis of it before watching/renting. At least they when they shot "day for night" everything wasn't blue like in the first three movies I tried to watch tonight and stopped before getting 3 minutes in.

The problem with this movie - as was the problem was similar movies and others I've seen of late - is that they can't resist trying to slap a little epilogue onto the end of the film that makes no sense. For example, lets say you've been watching a movie where a female character has multiple rendezvous with men during the movie, and after everything is tied up at the end, they tack on a couple of minutes where it's revealed that the female is actually a guy, equipment intact. Because it's obvious that one of the guys earlier in the film would have noticed that, it makes that trick ending insulting to the viewer. This actual circumstance did not happen at the end of this movie, but something equally insulting did.

As in other films, I would have been perfectly happy to give this one 5 stars, but when the writer/director tries to be too cute at the end, I've invariably been left having to knock it down a notch or two.

A decent journey with an ultimately ridiculous destination leaves me no choice but to not recommend this movie.

Just bad ....

[lordsteve_666 · 2/10 · 12 November 2007]

Hmmm ... just saw this piece at the Horrorfest and I wish I had used these 90 minutes for more useful activities, like shooting myself in the head or something ...

... but seriously, this is the dumbest plot since 'Slumber Party Massacre 17'. It shamelessly rips of 'Wrong Turn', and in a totally uninspired and lame way.

My rating in detail:

1 star for cinematography (ok, but barely) 1 star for the music (it didn't hurt) 2 stars for acting (sticks out because the rest of this film is so bad) -2 stars for the script

The only positive: James Burns obviously has tremendous fun playing the sadistic Sheriff - it's a pleasure to watch him

Makes for 2 stars overall - and that's generous. Save time and money and avoid this one.

Family Tradition

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 11 May 2008]

The Lake sisters - Brielle (Kelsey Crane), Kelly (Kelsey Wedeen) and their step-sister Samantha (Tara Gerard) - receive a surprising inheritance from their unknown grandfather that has just deceased. Brielle and Kelly join a group of friends and travel in a RV to visit the Lake Motel and decide what to do with the property. Sooner they finds that their unknown relatives are deranged psychos.

"Lake Dead" is an average slasher B-movie and has an unoriginal story that I have seen many times: "The Hills Have Eyes", "Wrong Turn", I can not count many movies with stories similar to the original "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" plus a collection of clichés of the genre (naked women, friends surrounded and under siege by psychos etc.). Even the incestuous relationship among relatives is not original - "Timber Falls" is better and better. But entertains, and my vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Lago da Morte" ("Lake of the Death")

Brain Dead

[Minus_The_Beer · 2/10 · 2 November 2013]

Lake Dead (2007), directed by George Bessudo. 90 minutes.

Plot:

A gaggle of good-looking 20-somethings take a road trip up north to a motel which was recently inherited by about a half dozen or so sisters (none of which even remotely resemble one another) within the group. While they have fun getting stoned in their RV, listening to terrible screamo and taking their clothes off at every opportunity, some grim looking fellows set out to put a wrench in the whole thing. Or a spike. Or a hatchet. Something. I don't know. They have sex. They die. You know the score. Something something Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Something something Friday the 13th. Lather, rinse, repeat. Please pass the bottle, this is going to be a long 90 minutes.

Writing and Directing:

I would say this movie was poorly directed, but that would be an insult to directors in general. To his credit, George Bessudo can at least frame a scene and capture his actors and their actions clearly. Shame he can't breathe any life into the turgid, stale script. The only element that sets this time-waster apart from the average slasher/backwoods horror flick is the heavy-handed and ridiculous soap opera that plays out in the first fifteen minutes. If you sit around the house all day watching shows like "Days Of Our Lives" and "The Young And The Restless" and think "Gee, this is great, but a couple buckets of fake blood and some gratuitous T & A would really make it sparkle!" then this may be the flick for you.

Acting:

Acting is virtually non-existent. Two people named Kelsey. Someone named Tara. Who cares? At least the bad guys seemed to be trying and, subsequently, the actors portraying them look like they had a little fun with it. For the bulk of the cast, you get the sense that the producer, reeking of hair gel and Axe body-spray, just called in some friends and was all like "Broseph, I got this film! You got to come down and be in it! You can be my lead! We got these girls who are willing to take their tops off for us!" It's actually a bit depressing that perfectly decent looking women took their clothes off for THIS.

Music:

Stale, standard score. Nothing impressive. I think the producer's cousin (his name is probably Derrick, and he probably has black, spikey hair and wears short-sleeved button-up shirts all the time) and his screamo/pop-punk band provided the rest of the soundscape. I hear they almost got to play the parking lot at the Warped Tour back in 2005, but it didn't work out. Keep shooting for the stars, guys!

The Bottom Line(s):

This movie is terrible and virtually irredeemable. Tolerable if left on in the background while you do more important things like, say, scooping your cat's litter box or picking lint out of your bellybutton. The standard T&A and buckets of red stuff offer a slight bit of relief, but for the most part, this one deserves to be left at the bottom of a lake. I had more fun writing this review than I did watching the movie, if that tells you anything.

Lesson Learned:

Don't bring a wallet with you when you go swimming. To paraphrase the great Dr. Zoidberg: "Your movie is bad and you should feel bad!"

Surprisingly good slasher

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 8/10 · 27 March 2015]

Hearing of an inheritance, a group of friends heading out to check on a family-owned motel learn the owners are trying to force their incest-based beliefs on them and forces them to try to stop their murderous advances.

There's a lot to like here but it does have some pretty troubling factors in this. Perhaps the biggest issue is the films' rather cloying practice of keeping the hero's alive simply to provide for a plausible rescue later, despite everything else rational and logical in the story. If the family was that intent on ensuring their successful traditions, leaving the boyfriend alive is quite irresponsible and illogical on numerous levels. It contradicts their own rules about not leaving witnesses, causes the family to look incredibly incompetent and forces the final half to descent into a series of captures and escapes which is highly repetitive throughout this which makes this stick out quite well. As well, the concept of the family engaging in incest doesn't make them seem all that more imposing or frightening by engaging in this activity when their logic is belted out simply with one line about tradition which is inherently lame and ridiculous. After these elements, though, there's not enough to really beat this one down with its good points keeping this one somewhat interesting. The fact that there's the need for the constant boyfriend kidnapping means there's some great action here as the need to escape and getting caught again brings great scenes along. The first encounter in the woods with the couple being ambushed, the later attack on the RV and the numerous confrontations inside the house where the different brawling and shootouts occur are a lot of fun which manage to get some rather interesting times with this one as the focal point for the action is usually based on the kids having to outwit the familiar who always try to simply overpower them. Beyond the action, this produces nicely with some really enjoyable suspense scenes here with the opening attack in the motel room, the dive in the lake among the dead body and the final revelation about the family's incest-filled past being pretty chilling. Along with the rather brutal and bloody attack scenes in here, these are the film's good points.

Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Nudity, a sex scene and strong themes of incest.

I Ain't Going Fishin'

[jamhorner · 7/10 · 11 November 2007]

I would first like to open this review by stating one of the funniest and best lines out of the entire movie: "That's how you f***k, family." With that out of the way, this was an interesting film that caught me off guard. I expected a movie that was worse than Ghost Lake or Zombie Lake. Boy I couldn't be further from the truth. This movie is about three four sisters who inherit the Lake Hotel from there newly found grandfather, their dad did not tell them about him for "security" reasons, and the sisters soon realize that their grandfather was murdered and that there are these men who are trying to kill them. I will say that this movie had some pretty okay acting and the scares somewhat there. You'll also see that this movie was influence by some earlier movies that had the same premise.

Let me get started by stating that story was heavily influence by a warm house blend of Wrong Turn, The Hills Have Eyes, "Home" from the X-Files and the Texas Chainsaw. You'll notice why it incorporates these films because of two main concepts presented in this film. One being deformed brothers, who wear jumpsuits, running around and murdering/raping teenagers (Wrong Turn, Hills, Home) and secondly the biggest concept I will not say since it involves a twist ending but that ideas includes movie like Texas Chainsaw and Hills. The storyline was somewhat tiring, you figure that these teens have to be beautiful people with hot bodies or this would never work, furthermore, they have to inherit a house or hotel that comes with killers. Kind of tiring. What turns this already milked story into original is the twist and subtext of the movie, which I will not say. It can become over the top and points and even to melodramatic. I could compare this movie to an A&E special or Cold Case reenactment gone horribly wrong, but than I would contradict myself, since I obviously like this movie.

That acting was good, but in parts. The beginning of the movie seemed like it was an afternoon soap opera like General Hospital. This being that the dialogue seemed scripted and painfully dramatic. Malea Richardson, who plays the foul-mouthed drunk sister, who, for my taste, swore too much. In one short scene she says about 10 F bombs, and even for a movie of this caliber, it was unnecessary. There were some okay jokes and at points the teens reacted to minor details as being life threatening, even before they got to the lake. Plus there is a random unnecessary drug scene and an unwanted sex scene. However, when the first murder takes place, that's when his TBS drama turns into a Fright Night. When the sisters begin to display real emotion, when the male character becomes the hero and villains become more real and into their characters. Half of the movie was okay acting and the other half was great horror acting.

Scares were not big in this movie, but when they did appear, it was okay. The parts where those 6ft brutes blast down camper doors and appear out of nowhere and asphyxiate their victims where a bit scary, and I admit that I jumped here or there. Of course I saw this in a darkened theater during Horror Fest. What was scary was not only just those deformed Billy brothers but the family in which they come from, again I will not say since this is a twist and I don't want to ruin it, but that realization is far more disturbing than those evil twins. There is a point when the killer pickaxes a girl in the ear and she cries blood as her eye turns red, yeah, a great example of classic slasher horror.

Overall, this movie was good for what it was worth, in fact, I sort of like this movie. There were some over dramatic parts to it, the scares where okay, there was great twist and a disturbing subtext, the actors where okay in the first half and excellent in the last half and the story seems to keep you on the edge. Despite that it was a low budget and that this style had been done and redone so many times, it was okay. I would recommend this movie to horror fans since this is a newbie of horror and I think that it should be given a chance. I like it, and again, I wish I could tell more but I would be giving away too much sensitive information.

Don't expect horror from this movie.

[atpage · 2/10 · 11 November 2007]

It uses the classic 'teens in the woods' type of setup, but the 'monsters' are underpowered, and are not very scary as there is plenty of lighting throughout the movie. I would give it 1/10 stars, but I give it 2/10 to indicate that it does have some (mostly unintended) comedic value.

Spoiler: It turns out that the bad guys are really just an inbred family, and the older family members lure their youngest generation back to them to continue the incest (killing extra friends who come along with them). It would have been scarier to just not even know what all the killing was for. A couple of things I hated: The dialog makes you think that you're watching a parody of older teen horror movies, and the heroes win.

I hope some others from horrorfest are worth watching, but I won't chance it now (not when you have to pay full price for every single movie).

Blood-related ugly losers run amok

[Someguysomwhere · 2/10 · 21 March 2008]

In the monster category, go past vampires, werewolves, zombies, giant reptiles and put a check mark next to "incest freaks" 'cause that's what you're dealing with in this lame movie. It's about 2 sisters who inherit a hotel in the backwoods somewhere where, unbeknownst to them, there are 2 murdering incest freaks running around in the same location. The movie never really explained the gratuitous brutality of these two. If you want to see a weak movie with some cruel scenes then this may be for you. The rest of you: "Staaay the hell awaaay!!!" Love, Boloxxxi.

P.S.

Props to the nice ass of the brunette sister(Tara Gerard). She deserved better.

I joined IMDb just to write a review for this movie.

[IndigoPhoenix21 · 1/10 · 27 January 2012]

Ever start watching a movie and from the first five minutes, you can tell whether it'll be good or not? I had this feeling while watching Lake Dead as the first kill of the movie was so bad, I teared up from laughing so much. Only in the movies can a guy take a buckshot to the neck and still managed to cuss his assailant out. From this, viewers could foresee Lake Dead as being one of the "bad" horror movies which are comedies in disguise. Unfortunately, this movie is just bad.

In essence, what viewers can look forward to seeing here is torture violence akin to that of "The Hills Have Eyes" or "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". However, Lake Dead falls short in many different ways. Firstly, the film consists of unremarkable characters, leaving viewers indifferent about who lives and who dies. The main players here are Brielle, the useless protagonist, Ben, her husband who literally does everything, Amy, Brielle's best friend and the dumbest woman on the planet, Bill, her adulterous boyfriend who practically cheats right in front of her, John, Brielle's granddad who is among the worst grandparents ever and the duo Sheriff Chuck and Gloria who play roles in the most frustratingly obvious twist I have seen in awhile.

Secondly, the deaths in this movie range from okay to infuriating. This is thanks largely to a lack of imagination and purpose. Seriously folks, I know that many complain about obscenities such as rape being excessive and pointless in films, but it really shows here. While the irony of the adulterous girl Tanya being raped is understandable, it was unnecessary and did it really have to be after she was impaled to a tree? Such an obvious ploy to shock audiences is in a word, lame. Most of the other deaths in Lake Dead are frustrating because the characters are just so acquiescent. I mean Bill (the cheating boyfriend) doesn't even put up a fight.

Lastly, the plot and plot twist of the movie which inspired this review. Let's break this down: how many horror movies feature cops and superficially nice old ladies who are actually the bad guys? Okay, how many of them are part of families with homicidal tendencies? Finally, how many of those families like incest? It amazes me how many horror movies go this route. It's like an unofficial law or something: horror movie in the south? You gotta have some rape and incest in there. Oh, and make sure that the killers just wail all the time. That's awesome. I will give credit to Grandpa John though for saying the most hilariously awful catchphrase ever. If you decide to stomach this movie, this line will be your payoff.

Lake Dead is at its core, a dreadful homage to infinitely greater movies, failing to engross the audience with its predictable plot and cheap scare and shock tactics. I can honestly say I have seen horror movies with a lower budget do much more. Leave this one alone. Let it fade from history. Seriously, how in the world does this movie have 4 stars?

Average gone miserable

[whoopee87 · 3/10 · 28 May 2009]

Well, FOR A START, i have to say I've seen quite many horror films so far. and u know, i can tell it by first 30 minutes. when u cant see any dead bodies at the first 30 minutes in the movie, then, its a non-watchable film, dare! i say.

this movie, lake dead, well, it should have been much more entertaining and gory. but it took a chance to be just normal as its title implies. JUST DEAD. the movie contains nudity and some gruesome scenes. but thats not all. I'm telling the method of death and the chase of the victim. also some thrilling moments that u can expect from horror movies.

5 girls. yeah...not that small number, but they are too plain. not likable...just i didn't like them. and the secret, huh...its worse than the girls. i cant get it...just a family tradition? gosh, its so typical and not believable. how many times i have to be astonished by that? once at wrong turn, twice at kindred!! if u just want some plain typical horror movies, whereupon its the gem that you've been searching for.

my overall : 3/10

Why did I choose this title?!?

[josh-waa · 2/10 · 1 May 2010]

Oh woe is me! It was said by an actor in the "making of" featurette "Lake Dead is not your average horror film" Huh?! The f**k it isn't! This is THE most mind-numbingly average piece o' s**t horror film I've seen outside of anything Rob Zombie's put his plagiarist hands to. A half an hour into this film I wanted to kill the cast myself! This film is also another perpetrator of what seems to be a big, conscientious theme in American horror and that is MAJOR gender issues, American males cannot show fear, it seems. What, I wonder, would actual jocks/frat boys do in extreme situations like the ones shown in this film? They'd s**t their 3/4 shorts, I'm sure! Instead, in films like this, you get slightly anxious action men, f**k off! I'm not covering every grievance I have with this title as I'm a rambler and subsequently a space filler, my one piece of advice is DON'T watch this film, don't give douche bag film makers like this more encouragement, look what happened with Michael Bay!! The guys that made this film obviously just watched Deliverance and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre(both brilliant horror films) too many times and decided that they'd try and capitalize on the themes but with much poorly executed accentuation, this film is abhorred.

Tasteless & Abominable

[stumpmee77 · 1/10 · 17 March 2009]

Never watched the Horrorfest DVD; saw Lake Dead after Saw wanna-be See No Evil on the Sci-fi Channel. Between the two, I rate "Evil" nine; "Dead" flat-line zero.

Horror movie only in its disrespecting women. How I regret not heeding the warning as I watched the drunk gal in film's first ten minutes. TA, woman held down and taped up, girl apparently in of the mentality can't do better hence putting up with a cheater. Began thinking those responsible concocting the "story" shallow perverts. Second bend over I got nauseated and angry--stop "The Making of Girls Gone Wild, the PG-13 version!" Bless the RV men with an eighth a brain; dumb fiancé and dumber frat philanderer! Not being sexist here both men and women deserved equal allocation to a special prize called commonsense. Funniest instance involving the male morons, the fiancé of one of the sisters complains eyes itching yet he dives into murky water. What too lazy to get water in close-by RV??? IMO, most interesting characters were the killers; I don't like feeling this way watching a horror film. More importantly looks STILL don't carry a plot less film and horrible acting but so far.

Beware the family that stays together!

[dharmanavy-1 · 6/10 · 10 November 2007]

Wow! I really don't know what to say.

I was reminded of the horror movies of the late 70's and early 80's.

This particular film has that same gratuitous feel of sex, violence and the mutant, inbred sibling(s) hiding in the barn! The acting is not great and at times borders on cheesy high school musical, but at others comes across as nothing short of outstanding.

The story is a great tale of family gone wrong that kept me intrigued until the end. Speaking of endings...

Even though I saw it coming I was still pleasantly surprised when the second brother\uncle\cousin\nephew came limping out of the woods with his ax. If he had just stood there looking I would have been very disappointed...but his scream of rage sealed the deal! I am left wondering what could be done with this script with a bigger budget and more time to dedicate to filling in the back story.

Here's to hoping that this story can and will continue.

S~

Unsavory family tradition.

[michaelRokeefe · 5/10 · 2 April 2008]

Creepy and not as bad as you may have heard. Another flick from After Dark Horrorfest and definitely better than some of the earlier releases. Three attractive sisters find out that a grandfather they never knew has died and left them a motel and lake property. Of course, it is in the middle of nowhere. One sister arrives early and is not there to greet her sisters and friends that made the trip in an RV with thoughts of camping. This back country is no paradise; actually the property is still occupied by a psychotic incestuous family wanting to keep the inbred clan thriving. Hell on earth is unleashed for the sisters and their friends. Some very disturbing scenes and some nudity spice up the story line. This redneck-invested property is just not fit for anyone with sense enough to leave. I liked it. Starring Kelsey Crane, Malea Richardson, Jim Devoti, Pat McNeeley, James C. Burns and Tara Gerard.

Top Dollar Fun

[grahamdavidson007 · 10/10 · 23 September 2008]

Despite its low budget lake dead proved to be a thrill ride and the overall appearance seemed to add to the drama. Some of the conversations between the cast i thought sounded like my partner and i chatting away, or i thought mmm missus would say that... combine that with all the one liners that were present and it seemed to add an almost comic element to the proceedings. I also felt that the sound was all over the place but you can only ask so much from an inexperienced cast and production team.

All in all an enjoyable romp with a Freudian twist.

I'll give you £10 towards the next film :D

nothing new but it delivered suspense

[trashgang · 6/10 · 2 November 2011]

I enjoyed this flick although many hate it. Don't think that you are going to see something original. It does look sometimes like Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Wrong Turn or other hillbillies gone mad flicks but it worked out fine for me.

George Bessudo the director only made two flicks so far, both horror, Farmhouse(2008) and this one a year earlier. So having in mind that it was his first attempt he did really well. It was also Daniel P. Coughlin first writing and I guess they both know their stuff. It's a mediocre flick which have to get it from the suspense built. The acting was okay and you do get involved with the sisters. Naturally with horror becoming mainstream they had to add something for the youngsters so there is a bit of gratuitous nudity in it. We have the pis*ed and proud sister walking around in her underwear and showing off to her sister's boyfriend. We have a love scene were nothing is revealed although they are naked but one scene in the woods do has it's gratuitous nudity.

So with the nudity hanging over the beginning and POV shots from the killer it was a bit of going back memory lane. I dare to say that it reminded me of the old horrors from the eighties. It will never be a classic, for that reason their are to many rip-offs of other horrors like I mentioned before.

There are a few killings going on and a few shots aren't for the squeamish. You will figure it out for yourself which one they are. It's a bit low on the red stuff but as I said, the suspense gives you enough thrills to watch this flick.

Another flick in the hillbillies look-a-like going berserk with a little twist. It's one you can watch with two pints of lager and a packet of crisps.

Gore 3/5 Nudity 1,5/5 Story 3/5 Effects 3/5 Comedy 0/5

The 13th to Last Lakeside Massacre on the Left

[The_Void · 5/10 · 26 October 2008]

Lake Dead is clearly a rip off of much better films such as The Last House on the Left and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre; but to be honest some of my favourite films are rip offs of those films so I wasn't too worried going into it. That was until I realised that most of my favourite rip offs (films like The House on the Edge of the Park and Death Weekend) were made during the heyday of horror when even a talentless bunch of hacks could churn out something good with a decent location and a fistful of film stock. Unfortunately the makers of Lake Dead weren't able to follow suit; but to the film's credit, it's entertaining enough stuff and I cant really criticise it too much considering the type of film it is. The plot focuses very simply on three sisters who go with their friends to check out a motel left to them by their grandfather; who just so happened to have died a rather grisly death. The sisters have their eyes on a big sale price; but get a surprise once they arrive at the motel when they discover that their long lost relatives are a bunch of psychos...

Anyone with more than a passing interest in this type of film will have seen most of what happens here many times before, which is a bit of a shame because the director obviously had good intentions and the film might have been decent with just a little bit of originality. The characters are all very samey and clichéd and thus hard to care about, or follow. The three sisters are very nice looking at least...but this novelty wears off pretty quickly. The setting is good however and the cinematography is nice and crisp...although actually a gritty style would have suited the film better. The psychotic relatives are not all that interesting either and pale in comparison even to the family in the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The gore is well used and fairly realistic and there's a fair few death scenes featuring including one that sees someone have his face caved in with the blunt end of a shotgun. However, it's the lack of originality that ultimately condemns the film and if you're looking for something you haven't seen before; feel free to look elsewhere.

Incest isn't best

[lovecraft231 · 1/10 · 22 March 2008]

A pair of sisters and their boyfriends-none of whom you care about, visit an old family inheritance. Surprise, there's a pair of inbred killers on the loose, as well as some dark family secrets.

"Lake Dead" is a movie with too many flaws to count. I could go on with the poorly done gore (done either with CG or badly done Make-Up-though that pick-ax to the face bit is pretty awesome), the two inbred brothers that look like shaved versions of the Geico cavemen (I'm surprised they didn't start complaining about cavemen being depicted as inbred killers)-and are pretty much lifted off of "Just Before Dawn" and the "Wrong Turn" movies (the film feels basically like the people behind it just saw "Wrong Turn" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" remake-the sheriff is right out of the "Chainsaw" remake), but I'll go with other problems instead.

For one thing, the acting-with the exception of Pat McNeely as the demented grandmother-is terrible on all accounts. Also, the film is rather misogynistic. None of the men suffer worse than the women, yet only the men come off as tough, while the women are basically weak and feeble. Really, this movie pretty much sets women back. At least give the audience a final girl to root for!

Going into "Lake Dead", I wasn't expecting an original movie. I knew it would be another Evil Inbred Family/Backwoods horror movie. Unfortunately, it's a bad one, which offers nothing interesting, and ends up leaving both a bad taste in your mouth and a sense of "why did I just waste my time?"