Blackwater Lane

This movie plot might have been good if it had been crafted better. It had a lot of good elements, but the pieces just did not fit together in a plausible way and convincing manner.

Many inconsistencies and some stupid liberties were taken during the making of this movie.

Minka Kelly is an absolutely gorgeous woman, but her role was severely flawed. However, I quite enjoyed watching her, even though the realism was badly impaired.

Even worse than the spooky nonsense was the lame love plot. Also, there was a murder for no particularly good reason.

In general, the character motivations were very poorly played.

The script was bad, the direction was substandard, and the dialog was unconvincing.

Other than that, the production quality was reasonably good.

I gave this four stars because I am a fan of Maggy Grace and Dermot Mulroney. If not for the two of them, it would have been substantially lower. The entire movie is insanely slow and Minka Kelly does NOTHING to help amp it up other than run around and manage to look confused the majority of the film. To say she lacks charisma is a massive understatement. She delivers every line as though she took a Valium and chased it with a Xanax. I knew where the plot was heading fairly early on. I just didn't care. I wasn't worried or concerned for any of the characters, at any time. I think this could have been a fantastic thriller but unfortunately it just doesn't land.

When will I learn? Just seeing the words Grindstone Entertainment on screen tells you. That you're in for B movie at best. In this case, it's more like a C- movie. Minka Kelly, Maggie Grace, and Dermot Mulroney are wasted in what amounts to a really slow and lame ripoff of Gaslight and countless other psychological thrillers. Giant old creepy house? Check. History of mental illness? Check. Lots of easy to see through red herrings? CHECK! If not for the recognizable names in the cast, this could be a Lifetime Movie Network original, and that's using the word "original" very loosely. Nothing to see here.

Blackwater Lane attempts to deliver a suspenseful mystery, centering around a woman who, on her way back to the grand mansion she shares with her husband, witnesses what appears to be a murder. As unsettling events begin to escalate, she grows convinced that she could be the killer's next target. Yet the film keeps the audience questioning the reality of her fears. Her frequent panic attacks, coupled with her husband's repeated denials of what she claims to see, create an atmosphere of uncertainty-though his dismissive behavior itself feels suspicious.

The film introduces several other characters who act irrationally or suspiciously, setting up a classic whodunit. Unfortunately, the story feels too familiar, with a plot we've seen countless times. Its execution lacks the polish needed to elevate the genre, weighed down by logical inconsistencies and flaws that weaken the narrative. Some of the acting also misses the mark, adding to the film's shortcomings.

Ultimately, there's little in Blackwater Lane to make it memorable. It settles into being a below-average mystery thriller with only mild horror elements. [4.7/10]

It's not too bad. It does drag on a bit. But I would recommend this movie for others to give it a chance. Throughout the film I kept seeing so many similarities between this film & the movies "Half Light" 2006 & sort of like "Death on the Nile" 2022. Plus an episode from, "Pretty Little Liars" season 6 episode 20.

Even though I guessed correctly that certain characters portrayed suspicious behavior, it drove me crazy that Wikipedia didn't have this film's plot uploaded. I hate surprises. But this movie's plot was way too easy to figure out. My 1st reaction after watching it was "I FLIPPIN' KNEW IT!!" Would I watch it again..? Someday, perhaps in a few yrs when I've forgotten most of its scenes.