Lake Eerie

source: Lake Eerie

Possible spoilers. I heard about Lake Eerie after reading a positive review in a "Women in Hollywood" article. It was listed as a femme-centric horror film. I normally don't care for the hardcore horror that is out there, however, the article mentioned it was a clever twist that didn't focus on the blood and gore. I gave it a shot and was happy I did. It was refreshing to see the film focus on mainly female characters with the male counterparts having just supporting roles. It's not heavy-handed in the way it goes about it though. The main character is dealing with a lot of personal issues from just losing her husband, battling prescription drugs and depression, overcoming trust issues with her father, and trying to let others into her world. All of this sounds more like a drama than a horror and it starts out that way. The story grounds itself in reality long before entering the paranormal realm. The character development and storytelling of Lake Eerie set it apart from other horror films and is a welcome addition. Check out Lake Eerie if you have an open mind about what horror could be.

This plot takes top honors for being completely straight forward and unimanaginitive while also managing to be confusing. The acting is really sub par. Betsy Baker was actually decent, but the remaining actors were wholly unbelievable and the entire film otherwise felt like an undergrad film school project. Pacing was slow, and the only thing scary about the film is that it actually was made into a film. I'm still not 100% sure what was happening at the end. After sitting the whole thing, which I really tried to enjoy, I found myself enjoying how terrible the film is more so than the actual film itself. But an hour and 40 minutes is too much just to make fun of it. DO NOT listen to the fake reviews all over this page and don't waste you time.

Not sure what genre to place this in. The actors did their best, considering the overall vacant, repetitive lines in the script and the serial cliché's. A few scares dissipate soon into that nether world of oblivious disbelief that anything as pathetic as this got any investors for its creation. This pile of shoddy writing and misdirection is partly redeemed by fairly good scene creation. A world is created inside the boundaries of the property of the house. The lake is ominously represented and the metaphor of water makes up for the rest of the sad aspects to this production. This is just an opinion, but I think the concept and script would do way better as the basis to a Scooby Doo animated film. After watching this I felt the producer had insulted my intelligence and that acting school is all but closed in Hollywood.

Lake Eerie is less horror and more a mixture of suspense and sci-fi. It was written by Meredith Majors (who also stars) and directed by Chris Majors (the duo is currently working on a new film, Echo of Evil). The plot of Lake Eerie is in some ways slow to develop, but a lot of that has to do with the deliberate choice to reveal things sparsely rather than poor pacing. Kate Ryan (Meredith Majors) is recovering from some personal losses and crisis and has moved from Idaho to the shores of Lake Erie for a new start. She chooses an old house, including all the aged furnishings and belongings of the prior owner. Although it has been taken care of, the home has been unoccupied since the 60's. Soon she learns the prior owner was an archaeologist who was investigating some curious artifacts. And quickly strange things begin to happen, leaving Kate to try and decide if her mental instability is rearing its ugly head, or if she is being confronted with forces she cannot explain. The real gem in this film is without question Betsy Baker, who plays nosy and eccentric neighbor Eliza. Horror fans might recognize Betsy's name, but if you don't, her most famous role was as Ash's girlfriend Linda in the original Evil Dead. Even to this day fans encourage her to thrill them with her "We're gonna get you, we're gonna get you, not another peep, time to go to sleep" chant. In Lake Eerie, Baker is a tour de force, savoring her scenes the way a wine aficionado enjoys a rare vintage. It helps that she and Meredith Majors have very good on-screen chemistry, dancing between friendly banter and strained frustration. The great Lance Henriksen makes an appearance as Kate's father, left back at the Idaho farm and worried about the well-being of his troubled daughter. He doesn't get a lot of screen time, which is a disappointment. Henriksen is in many ways a next-generation Peter Cushing: he can play a range of characters and no matter how goofy the dialogue he might be given it sounds believable and powerful when it comes out of his mouth. If I have quibbles with Lake Eerie, the first is in some of the supporting cast. Anne Leigh Cooper as Eliza's niece Autumn has to jump between excited, upbeat college kid to serious researcher and she never really finds a comfortable middle ground between the two. Ben Furney, in his scenes as Kate's former husband, seems like oil to Kate's water; they simply don't carry any believable emotion as a loving couple. My other complaint would be the resolution of the story. Admittedly a portion of this is because they wanted to leave an opening for a possible sequel. So I can allow a partial pass for that transgression. Obviously I can't give you a lot of detail, because I want to avoid any possible spoilers. Lake Eerie isn't Hellraiser or Poltergeist quality, but it didn't have the budget or commercial backing for that kind of punch. But it is enjoyable, so if you get a chance to pick up the DVD or watch it on Amazon Video or some other On-Demand service I say go ahead. Oh, and Victoria Johnstone as "The Countess" can visit my nightmares anytime.

Wow, I'm not sure what genre this falls into but I really loved the hybrid of classic horror and modern thriller. It does a great job playing with different realms of reality and consciousness. The lead character, Kate, is played by an unknown actress, but is performed well. I wanted to follow her down the rabbit hole to see if see was losing her mind or if this was her reality. I think Lake Eerie gave a wonderfully artistic look at what it is like to grieve and be lost. It is not a film for the weak-minded or someone wanting blood, gore, excessive nudity, or other shallow tactics. I was really surprised by this film, it is not the best film ever or anything close, but it is really good for what it is, and I wanted to see it through until the end. And I really enjoyed the ending. Truly great job for an indie!

(Post may contain spoilers) After watching Lake Eerie a second time, some cool things were revealed to me. I enjoyed it the second time around because I was a little confused at the beginning. The layering of realities is well-done for an Indie picture. I guess not having a bigger budget limited the film's SFX and other scare tactics? But as I engaged in the deeper meaning of the story, I saw it as a metaphor for suicide. I started seeing the film more tasteful than normal horror. Subjectively, I saw Autumn and Eliza as figments of Kate's imagination and pain. At first, I tried watching the film like any other soulless horror film, but this Indie seems to be more clever than that. To me, I was touched by this...maybe it is because I have lost a loved one recently. But the simplistic complexities of this story is really quite good. One cannot try to view this like a normal horror story. It is not. There are many angry people that try to view it as such...or so I think. It is a film that needs the audience to engage their imagination and not anticipate some new CGI monster to scare them; or naked, bloody women to squander any ounce of humility in the story. I do think it has horror qualities but they seem to be undertones and distractions to a deeper meaning. I think there may even be more layers that I may have missed. But if you have ever lost someone you love more than yourself...it is Hell on Earth. And I think this is what the story tries to show in Indie fashion. No big Hollywood effects. It shows how we can create a hell for ourselves and become lost in it, while here on Earth and after we die as well. Harrison's character shows depth too, but I do not want to give too much away. For someone like me, it took a second time to watch for me to enjoy...but I truly did.

It's low budget but not painfully low budget, actually looked pretty a number of times. The story did some new stuff in a tire genre so that was appreciated. Camera work was good, no shaky cam or found footage nonsense, it was simple and didn't get in the way. Reminded me of older horror films and that is a compliment due to the current state of the horror genre. Acting was above average for an indie. All the leads were consistent but some of the parts left a bit to be desired. The electrician was terrific, had me laughing pretty hard. The ending really got me, this is where the movie really earned some bonus points. Without spoiling anything, it was clever and didn't over explain, it actually gave me something to think about after. Thank you.

Sorry that was the cheesiest B Movie I have seen and I have seen a few... It is an independent movie, so I guess the lack of money showed. The script was poorly written. The plot could have been better. The actors could have been less wooden, but I doubt it. Why the add in of the silly I wanna watch you with another woman scene, was it added in to sex this lackluster up a little, if so then sorry it was an 'Epic Fail' That was not the only epic sex fail, there was the scene with the naked woman splashing in the water, what did that add into the movie? The 'zombie attack' scene so bad. The villains, the aunt and the niece were annoying. This could have been a good made for TV movie, with better actors and a better script and yes more money spent. Sorry it got one star from me,for a reason. It was an hour and some of my life I won't be getting back. I will say one thing, don't bother watching this film because the only good thing in this movie was the house.

The language was splendid and the aim to realize the horror imagery was fair enough. Nonetheless, i strongly believe the costumes to portray sinister should be revisited. The character of the woman who moved into the premise also did a performance of what i would call " natural' but there were some strange revelations told to her that i expected more from her expressions. The character of the genteel neighbor is very commendable. The nerd niece was naturally suited in the character she portrayed. But for the caged soul, i believe he failed to add the expressions of desperation and anguish while he communicated via the radio.