Director: Mercedes Bryce Morgan
Writer: Joshua Friedlander
Stars: Alex Roe, Maddie Hasson, Marco Pigossi
Synopsis: A couple’s vacation at a secluded estate is upended when they’re forced to share the mansion with a mysterious couple. A dream getaway spirals into a nightmarish maze of sex, lies, and manipulation, triggering a battle for survival.
Rarely has there been a film whose title is more on the nose than that of Mercedes Bryce Morgan’s Bone Lake. All of its marketing material is suggestive, leading you to believe it’s just a horny, unserious horror movie being dumped at the outset of spooky season. Hell, even the poster puts the R rating logo right next to the title’s first word. Some may say it was an accident, but they knew what they were doing. It’s a smart tactic. You know what they say, “Sex sells!”
The marketing is stellar, and it is the perfect way to get butts in seats. Unfortunately for them, a certain speed-themed pop star decided to release her “film” on the same weekend, taking up damn near every screen at many cinemas across the country.
Bone Lake follows Sage (Maddie Hasson) and Diego (Marco Pigossi) as a couple on a romantic getaway at the titular lake. Soon after they arrive, another couple, Will (Alex Roe) and Cin (Andra Nechita), show up claiming to be booked for the same house. After some back-and-forth, they decide to all stay there together, knowing a refund is in their future. It doesn’t take long for Will and Cin to start acting strangely and causing rifts between the other couple as the weekend chugs along.
The movie’s marketing signals a sleazier, sexier movie than the one we actually get. For some, that may be a bummer, but for many, this wrongfooting is likely to be a pleasant surprise. The story contains a lot more depth and innovative action than you’d expect based on the trailer. There’s also significantly less “spicy content” than advertised, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. This gives more time for the characters to interact and develop rather than forcing in a sex scene every 15-20 minutes.
Roe and Nechita certainly have the meatier roles, but they absolutely devour every scene they’re involved in. Their chemistry together is almost too much, bordering on insufferable. It’s the nature of their characters, but they are too good at leaning into Will and Cin’s unendurable qualities. Despite their grating personalities, they are quite captivating characters, and it makes sense why they suck Diego and Sage into their orbit so quickly.
Morgan, in tandem with cinematographer Nick Matthews, displays some impressive filmmaking, particularly incredible camera tricks and movements that elevate what could be a boring-looking horror film. The camera doesn’t just sit still in several key scenes that lead to some dazzling images.
The lighting and production design are also highlights of Bone Lake. The mansion’s setup and layout are used expertly to both distance the couples at times, while also finding ways to keep them in close quarters at others. The setting turns the “cabin in the woods” horror trope on its head while maintaining its best qualities. When will people learn that it’s not always the safest thing to go hang out in a secluded area, no matter how nice the house is?
Bone Lake’s weaker points come through in overwritten dialogue and early scenes telegraphing where the story is going. For couples that have been together for years and years, they sure do a lot of expositional monologues to each other. There’s no shorthand or level of understanding that you’d expect of people who know each other so well. The cold open reveals too much, making it seem like the team behind the movie thought the audience wouldn’t understand what’s happening later on without its inclusion. It’s an exciting scene, but a little on the nose given how things end up.
Mercedes Bryce Morgan has crafted a small diamond in the rough in Bone Lake, taking well-known horror tropes and sexy marketing and subverting those expectations. Sadly for the team, this diamond is being buried so deeply that it may be hard for people to find. After positive reviews out of 2024’s Fantastic Fest, Bone Lake looks like it will need to find a second life on streaming to find its audience after a crowded few weeks at the theater.
