We Took A Trip To “BONE LAKE” (2024) At The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival (REVIEW)
Two couples accidentally book the same Airbnb on the same weekend. It’s awkward, but they bond and become lifelong friends. The end…if this were a Hallmark movie. Lucky for us, Director Mercedes Bryce Morgan has something more sinister in mind with her latest, “Bone Lake,” a thriller about seduction that gets bonus points for featuring The Exploited’s “Sex and Violence” in more than one scene.
Sage (Maddie Hasson) and Diego (Marco Pigossi) are lovers in a bit of a rut. Diego has quit his teaching job to work on a novel, leaving Sage to be the sole breadwinner. Instead of discussing their newfound pressures, they go on a weekend getaway to a palatial mansion on the titular lake. They’re surprised by Will (Alex Roe) and Cin (Andra Nechita), another double-booked couple. Nobody wants to leave, so Sage and Diego are convinced by these attractive strangers to share the house, which has more than enough rooms. It’s a while before we spend any alone time with Will and Cin, but to the naive couple, they appear confident, charming, and incredibly horny for each other, and maybe even them. There seems to be a seduction going on almost from the jump, but it’s clearly beyond swinging. Sage and Diego’s failing relationship makes them susceptible to a cat-and-mouse game that leads to some shocking, yet satisfying bloodshed.
Confession time: I wasn’t a fan of 2022’s “Speak No Evil.” It fell off its tonal tightrope by having characters make the dumbest decisions possible. “Bone Lake” isn’t aiming for bleakness or anything close to the same level of intensity, but it does a better job portraying people who could be killed maintaining the social contract. This is the kind of movie where you’ll find yourself muttering “I wouldn’t do that” when you don’t want to admit you would. Joshua Friedlander’s script walks the line with minimal eye-rolling and Roe and Nechita clearly understand the assignment. Will and Cin feel like they’ve been genetically engineered to ruin Sage and Diego’s relationship. As the targeted couple, Hasson and Pigossi keep you guessing as to which one of them is going to fall into their web. Morgan and her DP Nick Matthews (“Saw X,” Morgan’s previous “Spoonful of Sugar”) bathe the night scenes in green lighting as if bringing the couple’s envy of their twisted co-habitants to the forefront.
The third act is where the film really kicks into high gear, almost changing genres. It’s a welcome switch, especially when hidden motives and deforestation tools are revealed. The audience at the Brooklyn Horror Film Fest actually cheered in a few spots, including the delightfully audacious final shot, which references another classic film ending. I can imagine some audience members rolling their eyes (yes, you WOULD do that!), but I cackled. There’s a very good chance you will, too.
Screened at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival.
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