These couples are doubled booked with blood and sex.
We begin with a naked couple running in the woods from a killer with a crossbow. One of them gets pierced through their testicles and the other gets pierced by a branch stick. We’re seeing that, but not the main couple of “Bone Lake.” And there’s also a song that sings “Sex and Violence, Sex and Violence.” So, we might be in for some fun and trouble.
I skipped last week’s slasher sequel “The Strangers: Chapter 2,” because the first movie didn’t have any steam and was too boring to be scary. “Bone Week” is probably the horror movie some people were expecting when they saw that film. That is if they did see “The Strangers: Chapter 2.” After all, it received a “C-” on Cinemascore.
But “Bone Lake” isn’t a movie about masked killers or satanic rituals, although the introduction and a night of tomfoolery might suggest them. It’s one that tackles relationships, and whether or not they can reach to the point of the boy proposing to the girl.
The couple, Diego (Marco Pigossi from “Gen V” and “High Tide”) and Sage (Maddie Hasson from “Malignant”), go to a mansion before they he writes a book and she gets a job. What isn’t a horror movie without a mansion with “Shining” or “Ready or Not” vibes. I know “The Shining” took place at the Overlook Hotel, but this might as well be a hotel if another couple shows up, because Will (Alex Roe from “The 5th Wave” and “Forever My Girl”) and Cin (Andra Nechita from “Bad Teacher”) also booked reservations at this place. With no other recourse, they all decide to share it.
Thats right. It’s another movie double booking, like the two weddings in the comedy “You’re Cordially Invited,” but without the competition and commercial appeal.
They all play a game where they break locks and go into different doors. One of them has sex toys and the other has a Quija board. And much to the annoyance of Diego, the new couple start to develop some strange and alluring behaviors. One of them even ruins what was supposed to be a perfect moment for him and Sage.
Okay, now something is definitely up. And it’s not some kind of mind game, like what was displayed in “All My Friends Hate Me.”
The pacing is a little slow, but the characters are entertaining. It might start off feeling like a darker version of “Vacation Friends,” but ends up taking a different direction. Why would a romantic getaway turn into a living nightmare? Maybe it’s because of the arrival of the other couple. Or maybe it’s something else. Or maybe it wants to tackle relationships like “Heart Eyes” did last February.
These actors aren’t well known, but they do good work adjusting to the horror genre. They can be funny, creepy, or argumentative, depending on how director Mercedes Bryce Morgan and screenwriter Joshua Friedlander use them. Maybe “Bone Lake” can jump start their careers.
About me skipping “The Strangers: Chapter 2.” There’s a fine line between giving something a shot and listening to someone’s advice. Maybe there was a reason why I couldn’t get a screening to the first movie. Someone probably knew it was going to be crappy movie, while other critics were given raw deals. I’ve heard positive things about “Bone Lake,” and had to see it for myself. I wasn’t bored, and I liked it.
This looks like a horror movie IFC Midnight would distribute because of how the studio endorsed the genre on smaller scales. Sometimes, they would get known actors and other times, they would get new faces. At least they’re new to us. Bleecker Street releases “Bone Lake,” and uses Pigossi, Hasson, Roe, and Nichita with fresh appeal and twisty overtones.
