Lillian and some friends travel back to the remote cabin by the little lake, where her twin brother died the previous year, and soon after arriving strange things start happening.
“Lake of Death” plays like a slasher film straight out of the ’80s. It comes replete with all the conventions: young adults on vacation, a cabin in the woods, a mysterious figure stalking them. There’s also the added bonus of gruesome flashbacks. While ultimately the movie feels very cookie cutter I mean that in a good way. Horror movie repeats can feel droll or trite but “Lake of Death” isn’t that. It’s atmospheric with a perfect Norwegian forest. Its cast of teenagers live in their roles slowly at first before getting up to speed. “Lake of Death” nails the slasher flick perfectly despite its foreseeable plot twists by utilizing the impressive set decoration to give the movie a stronger sensation of texture and not just story.
Iben Akerlie plays Lillian. A year after her brother mysteriously died, she returns to her family’s cabin with her boyfriend and crew to revisit it and to take a load off. The group of five meet Kai, the caretaker and family friend of Lillian’s. While spending the weekend there they are hunted by a mysterious force attempting to murder them one by one. Local legends abound of a man who killed his family and then drowned himself in the Lake. Or perhaps the Lake itself menaces the group. On top of that Lillian’s ‘episodes’ begin again, resulting in horrifying dreams all pointing her towards her brother and the lake.
The cast all play their parts perfectly and not a single beat gets missed here. Iben plays Lillian as a damaged space cadet trying to enjoy herself. The trauma of her brother’s death (a lingering question mark) distances her from the group and she plays it well. The surrounding cast all beef up the performance by grounding the movie despite its dreamy atmosphere. Elias Munk, Ulrich von der Esch, Jonathan Harboe, and Sophia Lie all give it their best in equal measures.
“Lake of Death” really succeeds in its efforts to menace and loom. So much of it hinges on menacing woods and moody atmosphere. It leans into its location and its gorgeous set design. The cabin itself feels out of time, like a pioneer cabin slightly updated with ’80s amenities. All the wood grain texture combined with white doily sheets make it feel like a grandmother’s house. There are no photographs or unique wall decorations. The basement level (revealed later in the film) stands on its own as a fantastically creepy layer. Moldy dolls, old diaries, and other classic conventions abound downstairs.
Bloody flashbacks cue up many of the darker sequences in the movie. Seen solely from the point of view of Lillian, these sequences involve watching her surroundings take on a layer of rot. Characters might smile and lake water drip out of their mouths. They help push the dreamy atmosphere and make the audience question whether or not Lillian is awake.
The ending feels fairly foreseeable but by no means does that make it unenjoyable. It’s a fairly straight forward ride and just enjoying it for what it is makes it that much more exciting. “Lake of Death,” inspired by a 1958 movie of the same name, capitalizes on all the tropes of a ‘cabin in the woods’ movie only – in Norway! It’s often dreamy and gloomy. Its cabin helps anchor the whole experience, showcasing stellar sparse production design. Follow Iben Akerlie and co as they attempt to survive the weekend. Feel like you’re back in the ’80s at the peak of the slasher genre with a Norwegian throwback.
Now available to stream on Shudder
