Bone Lake, thankfully, is a film that’s more than simply the blood, guts and boobs the marketing would lead you to believe. I caught that first kill scene like most horror fans online, and was admittedly curious – due to both its gratuitous violence and explicit nudity, which has all but quietly disappeared in horror. But the real question you’re probably asking yourself is there more to this film than that? Yes, most definitely! Along with the sex and violence, you’d expect, surprisingly there’s a rather intimate look at a couple who’s having some very real and relatable issues.
Mercedes Bryce Morgan’s aptly titled Bone Lake follows Diego (Marco Pigossi) and Sage (Maddie Hasson), a couple currently experiencing a lull in their three year relationship, thanks to Diego having just recently quitting his job so he could write the great American novel, with his girlfriend reluctantly putting her dreams aside to support him. To celebrate this big life change they booked a gorgeous airbnb mansion to spend the quiet weekend, with Diego hoping to use the scenic backdrop to finally pop the question. Shortly after they arrive however, we discover another couple booked the same space for the weekend, the extremely attractive Cin (Andra Nechita) and Will (Alex Roe) who barge in, just as the couple is making themselves at home, ahem, the film is titled Bone Lake.
Unable to get a hold of the property owner, the couples agree to share the space and we begin to notice something is not quite right with the picturesque pair who immediately glomp onto their more homely housemates.
Ultimately the film oddly enough is really about the perilous nature of trust, love and physical attraction and how all three are tested in this three day span by Will and Cin. What kept me vested was even given the setup, and the fact that this is a horror film, it never attempts to negate the emotional stakes of Diego and Sage’s relationship in all of this. We not only want them to make it through this, but do so as a couple who have use this insanity to help them move past an exceedingly difficult patch in their relationship. While the machinations working behind the scenes of Bone Lake reveal themselves pretty early on in the film, it’s the suspense and these characters that really lock you in as an audience. The script is also careful not to think its smarter than its audience and instead uses its narrative bread crumbs to allow them to be in on the fun.
Bone Lake is a deliciously sordid thriller that also delivers a third act bloodbath that lives up to that first kill scene. I was honestly impressed by the suspense Mercedes Bryce Morgan is able to conjure from this narrative, which had me transfixed for the 90 minute runtime, wondering what would happen next. This was also thanks to the very humanistic approach of our leads Marco Pigossi and Maddie Hasson who are blessed with not only the rare gift of great chemistry, but common sense in a horror film. Bone Lake was a rare treat when it comes to horror that relies on something like eroticism along with gore, in that it’s not only much smarter than you’re expecting, but it’s a hell of a fun ride !
