★★½ (2½ out of 4)
Anything for Halloween? How about “Bone Lake,” fresh from Fantastic Fest into theaters, where thrill seekers can enjoy an opening scene of a pair of buck-naked hotties running through the woods where arrows whiz past them until one finds its target in the dude’s testicles.
Hooked, horrified or maybe both? You’ll find it all in this erotic thriller that has its moments even though I almost bolted from the theater when I learned that the plot would pivot around two couples who are mistakenly booked at the same Airbnb. Are there no new storylines, or are we fated for eternity to run the “Barbarian” scenario on a continuous loop?
For every cliché that the script calls to action, the director uses her restless camera to keep our heads spinning, our assumptions tossed, and our nerves fried. I’ll say this about the ending of ‘Bone Lake’: it’s a bloodbath.
I guess it’s what you do to refresh the familiar that makes the difference. It sure does with “Bone Lake” (the dirty joke of the title is intended, so laugh if you must) in which director Mercedes Bryce Morgan (“Spoonful of Sugar”) takes a rudimentary script (I’m being kind) by Joshua Friedlander and layers it with several surprises you won’t see coming. Hold for applause.
Enter Couple No. 1. They are Sage (Maddie Hasson) and Diego (Marco Pigossi). He intends to write the Great American Novel (really, who still reads?) and she—cue the resentment vibes—is expected to support them both while he does it. Sounds like a motive for murder to me. But for now Sage and Diego will try to revive their dormant sex lives at a “clothing optional” rental (it looks like a villa) near a Georgia lake with murky waters that—wait for it—holds secrets. There’s talk it might be a burial ground for a serial killer.
Next up is the unexpected Couple #2. They are Cin (Andra Nechita) and Will (Alex Roe). They are hotter than Sage and Diego, so they act like they don’t need to explain the double booking. Go along with it and they’ll all get a refund, right? A stronger incentive from Cin and Will is the distinct hint that they’d be up for foursome fooling around. If visions of Michael Haneke’s “Funny Games” dance in your heads, so much the better.
And so we’re off. “Bone Lake” delivers way less boning than it promises, but the fear factor is off the charts with a 94% rating on rottentomatoes.com to seal the deal. Tension mounts when locked rooms in the house spark curiosity. Anyone for a séance or a sex dungeon?
For every cliché that the script calls to action, Morgan uses her restless camera to keep our heads spinning, our assumptions tossed, and our nerves fried. I’ll say this about the ending of “Bone Lake”: it’s a bloodbath. How many of you figured it out ahead of time? Be honest.