DVD Review: Sam's Lake (2009)

Made in 2005, this movie was finally made available on DVD just this past April...

Cast Members of Note- Fay Masterson, Sandrine Holt, Salvatore Antonio, and William Gregory Lee.

Every summer, hot little hippy chick Sam takes her friends up to her cabin for a weekend of R&;R; she's a former hick who moved to the big city, mainly to escape the stigma of having a lake named after her -or maybe she was named after the lake- either way, she's a Big City hick transplant now.

"Can you feel the essence of the lake welcoming us home?" No Sam, that's just the wind.

To add a little fun to the weekend, she gathers everyone 'round the campfire and tells them a creepy story about a kid who escaped from a mental hospital, came back home to these very same woods, and killed his entire family. When she claims the ever-famous "He's still out there," her story becomes a ripoff of both Halloween and Friday the 13th, all in one shot.

Rob Zombie?

From here on out, a twist takes place that I really would rather not ruin for anyone, because it actually worked pretty well. What I will say is that no matter how good their intentions seem, Hippie's always manage to botch things up. Also, not all gay characters need to be drama queens to be effective, as evidenced here. Who knew?

Oh yes he did!

This was a hell of an entertaining movie for what it was; I mean, it was low-budget for sure, but it was well-acted, believable, and the story was tight and coherent. From the creepy backstory to the present day hunt-and-kill, this one was just plain old good. And wow, what a good twist. It's nice to see smart scripting in action for a change; certain character types that weren't overtly stereotypical, we got some realistic dialogue, there were characters that did things that made sense for the most part... If you don't have a huge budget, then the way to go is quality on all other fronts, which Sam's Lake managed to do very well.

That was a cool moment/scene.

How many "A group of friends head into the woods only to find their worst nightmares waiting for them, and must engage in a battle for their very survival" movies do we really need? Between 2008 and 2009, I can count dozens of them (possibly more.) Some were good, some were not so good, and more are on the way. It's a cool concept, but how long can the trend continue before things start getting stale?

Listen to the creepy locals, people! The wizened old rubes that populate these movies know the score in the backwoods, and when they say "Don't go messin' around these parts", you pack up and go home! Also, when a local "country boy" won't shake the black man's hand, it's not a good sign.

Not a ton of gore, but enough to make a decent Survival Horror flick with.

Nope.

At least we got bikinis?

"It's the natural order."

Good twists still exist in Horror movies. Also, mountain men can take a severe beating and still get up. Repeatedly.

Should have stayed at a Holiday Inn.

This is not a perfect movie; we've seen it done before, and better mind you, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it was a solid little flick. I guess the best compliment that I can give this movie, is that it didn't insult my intelligence like most other films of its kind do. Definitely worth a look see if you have the time.

B

Sam's Lake is available now on DVD and VOD.

That a girl Fay, you naked is always a good thing. (Although it wasn't in this movie!)