Blackwater Lane

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.

It's not a spoiler, I'm just doing you are favor, it's not horror, there's nothing scary, there are no jump scares or idiotic CGI.

It's a mystery movie and it could be suspenseful, but not the white knuckles type. More like the brainy kind.

At one point it seems like a Scooby Doo episode but longer, way longer and not as silly.

It's not convoluted or twisted as the Agatha Christie novels and if you are into this genre you might even guess the end.

I gave it a 7 because it is intriguing and entertaining, beautiful to look at, and well acted... although I would go easier on the forehead Botox (sometimes I couldn't figure out if she was laughing or crying).

Combining a Lifetime-esque "weak scared woman in jeopardy" with the "is it supernatural, psychological, or a plot" genre, this is a poorly written, poorly acted, and overly long example of this sub-genre. A woman who-- of course -- has a previous psychiatric admission becomes a quivering mass of jelly and acts in very stupid ways, despite the fact the character is or should be a bright person. But oooh is she having a breakdown? Is there a ghost? Is there someone messing with her? A plot so transparent that if you've seen one of these, you've seen them all. If you have experience with these types of stories, you'll see the ending coming from about 20 minutes in. Painful to watch and a disappointingly obvious ending unless you are just one of those who like this sub-genre.

Cass (Minka Kelly) is driving home in a stormy night down the isolated Blackwater Lane. She sees a car parked on the side of the road, but she does not stop for the distressed female driver. The lady is later found murdered. She starts encountering disturbing visions, but her husband Matthew (Dermot Mulroney) insists that it's all in her head. She had suffered mental issues following her mother's death. Rachel (Maggie Grace) is her friend. DC Lawson (Natalie Simpson) is investigating the murder.

First of all, she should never stop in that situation. There is no shame in that. If it's sunny daylight and nobody else is around, then it would be a bit callous. Somehow, these three American actors got stuck in a bland British murder mystery ghost story. The story has only a few possible explanations and I never really cared that much about which one. It does a poor job with one path while it pushes too hard on another path. I am fine with the ultimate reveal, but it's not done well. The last act is a mess.

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.