Bone Lake

Within minutes of settling into the spectacular house that they’ve rented for their weekend away, Sage (Maddie Hasson) and Diego (Marco Pigossi) are fucking in the hallway on the animal skin rug. One wonders how many couples have done that before them, hopes it gets well cleaned. There’s something about souvenirs of killing, like this, that turns a lot of people on, gives them the chance to play with the idea of savagery, even if they’ve never hunted. For the audience, who have already seen a naked couple chased down with arrows in the prologue, it is perhaps a warning sign – but then again, it could be a reminder that there’s a little bit of wildness in everyone. “Do you ever think a place like this might have hidden cameras?” Sage asks.

The two of them have travelled to this place to enjoy a bit of low-stress time together before he commits himself full time to writing his book, having quit his college teaching job, and she starts working extra hours in order to support him. He has also, secretly, brought along his grandmother’s ring, planning to propose. Not everything is perfect between them but they have that trust in and patience with one another that enables them to keep on figuring it out. They’re likeable everyday people and viewers will quickly warm to them. The other couple, perhaps less so.

When taking a trip of this sort, it’s usual to want to be alone, and indeed that’s what they thought they were due to get, but it appears that they’ve been double booked. Will (Alex Roe) and Cin (Andra Nechita), who explains that her name is short not for Cindy but for Cinnamon, have that slick Hollywood look about them. He’s tanned and muscular and likes to go running shirtless in the early hours when most sensible people are still in bed. She looks undernourished and probably has a product placement deal with a lingerie manufacturer; when her hair moves at all, it does so as a single piece. They’re friendly, however, and quite right in noting that the house has plenty of room for everyone (one could probably fit a dozen more couples in there without them really feeling the squeeze). Since the agency will probably have to refund both parties anyway, the sensible thing seems to be to share.

Of course, what’s sensible in real life and what’s sensible in a film screened at Frightfest are two different things. Cin and Will are not just there to provide exposition (there is apparently a legend about a wealthy family which once bought the land and found lots of human bones in the lake) or to encourage misbehaviour such as breaking into the house’s locked rooms (which contain pretty much exactly what you’d put there if you wanted to troll guests in such a place). They have a deeper fondness for mischief and it quickly becomes apparent they’re playing a game with Sage and Diego, creating socially awkward situations just to see what will happen and testing their loyalty to one another. They’re also curiously naïve, however. Will struggles to navigate the boundary between seduction and intimidation, whilst Cin’s moves on Diego seem to be inspired by stories from a budget porn magazine, and patently don’t deserve to be taken seriously.

Accordingly, this paragraph should probably begin with ‘imagine my surprise’, but there are no surprises here. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad film – in fact, it’s often more interesting because Sage and Diego are smarter than they’re supposed to be, so things don’t quite go according to plan or generic formula. What Cin and Will think is their big revelation falls flat in rather an endearing way, because the world has moved on, despite our heroes being bizarrely prudish in some other ways.

Director Mercedes Bryce Morgan plies her trade with a style and verve which elevate this far above the 1980s straight-to-VHS erotic thrillers that it superficially resembles. Her pacing is near perfect and will keep you on the edge of your seat, faltering only a little towards the end, when there’s too much repetition. She makes great use of the handsome location, and knows when less is more, letting the tension ebb and flow naturally. Although you’ll be able to see where this is going early on, it’s still a thrilling ride.

Reviewed on: 25 Aug 2025