Cabin by the Lake

One of the better made for tv movies I've ever seen. Nelson gives a nice creepy performance. I found the story very interesting and different and the visuals were enough to make me squirm. I'm sure there are some who will complain about the very end of the film, but personally I like that sort of thing.:) I would have liked to have seen a few more of his "garden" getting collected, but with all the commercials they have to put in I know their time is limited. Since this is on tv, I think it is well worth the time to stop and watch. And I hope it comes to video, because I would like to add it to my collection.

It's not perfect but I like it, it's good! I liked all the actors but specially Hedy Burress as Mallory and Judd Nelson as the writer serial killer Stanley. The music is great too. I repeat, the film is not perfect, it has some weaknesses, I will not reveal them here, but even so, it's still captivating. It's not easy to give it some stars, precisely because of those imperfections. Here's what I'm going to do: the first hour of the movie, is excellent, is worth 10 stars. The remaining 31 minutes are not worth more than 4 stars. 10 plus 4 divided by 2 equals seven. And, if you haven't noticed already reading this review or from other reviews of mine for many other movies, I try with all sincerity to be the most critical objective possible, from all points of view.

I have seen this movie many times and enjoy it every time. The sequel is not too bad either but the first one is definitely better. I thought the plot was very good. It was much better than someone getting their head chopped off every 5 minutes. I especially loved the music, it is as creepy as the movie. Definitely my kind of movie and my kind of music. I thought the underwater scenes very good, pretty realistic. It wasn't until i watched it again recently that I realized the actor that played the deputy was on the current TV show Navy NCIS and what a cutie he is. I have always loved Judd Nelson and he can play the crazy guy with the best.

Even if you did not enjoy this movie, you must admit it is far better than most of the mindless drone that passes for a tv movie (i.e. the entire Lifetime channel rotation). Most all tv movies are atrocious but this was the type that was good in a bad way. Judd Nelson was absolutely perfect as Stanley, nailing even the campiest of dialogue. You could compare his believability to that of William Petersen's in 'Beast'. You can only judge an actor by how well they play in a terrible movie. The rest of the cast I really could do without, but they only serve to make him look better. Also, the water scenes were painfully beautiful in a sick way...

I would have to disagree with the commentator who said Stanley's killing for research was implausible. Au contraire, If you write screenplays, like I do, you can understand that. No, we generally do not become serial killers but on the whole we can be very irrational about the lengths we go to to achieve our goals. We really are all crazy ;-)

And to the commentator Tom: The drowning of girls was not meant to be humorous. And please do not get offended because, let's face it, you are not a woman...

I have to admit, this movie truly did shock me. Within the first five minutes you'll feel totally engrossed by the plot. Most movies will lay it on you in bits and pieces , this one just hammers you immediately then leaves you wondering whats going to happen next.

The audio the video quality was outstanding for what looked like a lower budget film, but the full-screen only DVD bothered me. I'm guessing it was transfered this way because it was originally intended for TV. There was a double DVD released not long ago (Cabin by the Lake, Return to the Cabin by the lake) which can be found at Amazon.com and can also be rented at Blockbuster incase you are interested. (see link at bottom of review for direct Amazon page)

Overall , Judd Nelson does a fantastic job as the main role, the plot wasn't all that thick and sometimes was predictable, but always kept you wondering "Are they next?".

Movie Link : http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005RDAP/qid16506652/sr=8-1/refsr_8_67_1/002-2048647-8605661