Lake Nowhere

I'm an avid horror fan year round and I'm always on the lookout for the best in blood and guts and spooks and scares, but whenever the leaves start turning color and the wind becomes bitter and cold, I'm always on the lookout for new and better horror films that I've never experienced before. This is large in part due to my huge Halloween fascination that started with the film of the same name when I was younger alongside my mother's adoration for the holiday. Thanks to my subscription to Shudder, which is pretty much a Netflix for horror geeks, I stumbled across this amazing Grindhouse homage: Lake Nowhere. 

Lake Nowhere is an independent film that was released in October of 2014 by The Ravacon Collective, a small group of talented artists, filmmakers, and actors all based around the Glens Fall Region of Upstate New York in the United States. An initial release date was planned in October 2013, but after several complications including the set being moved to a completely new location a day before they were set to film, setting up a six-day shoot in an unplanned location, downed powerlines, and more. However, they managed to power through all that and bring us this amazing piece of work. 

As soon as the film starts playing I was treated to classic VHS scan lines along with a "Play" button appearing in the upper left hand corner. From there we get a couple of spoof trailers which, kind of like 2007's Grindhouse, may get turned into real films one day. We're treated to the Giallo inspired bloody trailer of Quando Il Fiume Scorre Rosso or When the River Runs Red, a commercial for Wolf White beer complete with a howl at the end, and a trailer for an Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! vibed horror piece Harvest Man. 


After those trailers, the dirt and grit shapes up into our feature film: Lake Nowhere. The film has the standard set up of a group of friends going to a cabin in the woods to have a good time. Shortly thereafter, they are terrorized by a masked being who's palish blue in the face. His POV is presented in first person view with his eye-holes making the shots for the camera. It's deeply unsettling watching from his POV as he stalks the cabin, looking inside the windows at couples fucking, showering, and just having personal moments. 

When one of their friends disappears down to the lake for a quick swim in the nude he comes back not looking well at all. While most smart people would immediately get him to a hospital and abandon ship, these hapless horror victims set him up nice and tightly on the couch and head to their personal chambers. After he attempts to murder another, they put him down and prepare to leave. However, the masked slasher will not have that and begins murdering each and every single cabin resident. 

What I love about Lake Nowhere is its wickedly fast pace and its ability to send shivers down your spine without resorting to jump scares. This is exactly how old fashioned horror films got things done; they would use the killer's presence, size, and sheer will to kill to scare the audience and that's what Lake Nowhere does so well. 

The FX are also on point with no CGI - at least no CGI that I caught - used in production. The blood and gore is all handmade and well done, and will harken back to the golden age of horror films. The only slight complaint I have was the noise and sound coming from the fired gun was unbelievable. However, the bullet holes in the chest of others was very well done. 

All the actors did fairly well for their roles and half the time watching them was like watching a group of friends just hang out and relax. They felt comfortable around one another and it was extremely natural. 

The plot of Lake Nowhere does leave some questions in mind, however that would be diving into spoiler alerts. I will say that there is something supernatural about the killer and how they relate to one of the characters, but that isn't explained too well in the film. Perhaps a future sequel or commentary from the directors will help calm my need for an answer. 

Either way, films such as Lake Nowhere are desperately needed in these dark times where the only horror films that flood the market are full of cheap jump scares and horrible paranormal films. We get that those films sell, but what I'd like to see is a back to basics movement where independent horror films will dominate the market once more - films such as Lake Nowhere.