From the vaults of the golden age of slasher films comes "Lake Nowhere", a raucous, bloody romp which resurrects the thrill of gory midnight movies for an hour-long plunge into the depths of horror.
The idea of "throwbacks" or things being "retro" is nothing new, and some ideas from this movie's composition seem to be heavily inspired by the Tarantino-Rodriguez "Grindhouse" films, what with the fake trailers and all. This is not to take anything away from "Lake Nowhere", because in many ways they run with the concept and do even better. The year is not over yet, but "Lake Nowhere" may be the greatest horror film of 2016.
Growing up in the era of VHS, one of our favorite pastimes was to get a few friends over and rent four or five movies based solely on the box art (and if the box was an oversized clam shell, even better). Despite being only 13 or 14, nobody was ever carded and this was half the fun. Our parents knew what sort of trash we were exposing ourselves to, but it still seemed risqué to see these films with them in the next room.
You don't care about my childhood (and why should you?), but if you grew up in a similar time, this film is going to hit you hard. The "plot", the visuals, the music
in every possible way, the creators captured what these late 70s, early 80s movies were all about. And many of them were actually more enjoyable because of the VHS grit and grain, losing something in the process of "digital remastering" or today's 2K or 4K scans. "Lake Nowhere" gets that, not just capturing the look of the films, but how they would appear if you were still watching them late at night in the 1980s or 1990s. Specifically, the quality reminded me of Wes Craven's "Last House on the Left", which was a VHS must-see, especially if you could find it unrated with the disemboweling scene intact.
This gimmick (and I use that in the most positive sense) is even taken an extra step, with the film being a simulation as if it was recorded off of TV. A vintage beer commercial appears, as well as a preview for some sort of non-existent Italian giallo thriller. Once or twice, we even see what was recorded over (because, of course, you're going to re-use a videotape two or three times).
The magic is really in the look and the acting and every little thing done to capture the right feel. The plot is intentionally awful, with characters saying they are about to do something but then doing something completely different. Much of the story (if there is one) gets no explanation. Don't expect an origin story for the killer or expect to figure out the supernatural aspects of the lake. Just roll with it.
At a very lean 51 minutes (barely feature length) we get what can only be described as "all killer, no filler". With half a dozen young adults to pick off and no time to do it, there is very little on screen that isn't sex, drugs or murder. There is a script-writing maxim known as Chekhov's gun that says, "If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don't put it there." This film gets it – everything from hanging a clothesline to some skinny dipping pays off in a big way.
"Lake Nowhere" comes out on home video and VOD on August 16, 2016. If you loved the gritty VHS era, pick this one up. Rent it, buy it, steal it
do whatever you have to, but be sure to see it. If you hated those types of movies (I'm looking at you, Mike Mayo), I'm not sure why you're reading this review. With nothing bad to say about the movie, I give it my highest possible recommendation.
