Plot: A group of teens head to a lakeside vacation home, for a weekend of fun, sun, and hopefully, not being a butthole. The lake offers the chance to water ski, like a lot and that means the girls will be in bikinis, which is good news for the dudes, who hope to use the weekend excursion to score. Even ‘Lil Tony is hot to trot and he has his beer, so now all he needs is his sex partner and he’s solid gold. But what the teens don’t know is that a man in a fashionable silk shirt is on the loose and looking to spill blood, with his attention toward the lake’s newest arrivals. Can the friends somehow still enjoy the booze and skiing action, or will this strange man in a hat hunt them down one by one before the end of the weekend?

Entertainment Value: There’s a special kind of magic in some of these low rent, regional horror movies, as regular people trying to act like regular people often leads to a twisted version of the mundane. That’s the case with Blood Lake, as not a lot happens here and a good deal of time is devoted to simple conversations, but it feels almost surreal, despite being mostly routine in nature. The story is a familiar one, with a group of friends at a lake under siege from a maniac, but the focus is on awkward social elements, rather than the stalk and slash. So we observe the friends water ski, sit around and talk, and engage in a wildly overly long drinking game, with little happening in any of these, but you can’t avert your attention. This is thanks in part to the shot on video approach taken, as it lends a certain texture to the movie, but the cast’s energetic, yet wooden performances keep you zoned in as well. The finale is where the horror elements are the focus, but there’s no scares, just a few kills and an end sequence that is credited to God, of all people. I can imagine all sorts of reactions to Blood Lake, but for fans of offbeat, regional cinema, it pretty much has to be seen.

A lot of sex talk in Blood Lake, but no real sleaze is present. As we’re told in the movie, all talk, no action in this department. There is some bloodshed, as the violence ramps up a little as the movie plows toward the finale. This includes some low rent, but fun to watch gore sequences with a good amount of crimson involved. A quick kill opens the movie, but then we run into a long stretch until the next one, though again, the finale escalates the violence and kills. But if you’re here for rampant kills and buckets of blood, you will likely be let down. The dialogue is where Blood Lake shines, with a nearly constant flow of awkward, ridiculous, and quotable lines on showcase, all performed with a unique wooden, but enthusiastic approach. ‘Lil Tony tends to steal the show, with his always humorous interjections, but even the mundane exchanges have a voodoo like texture, making them memorable. I love the overly goodbyes in particular, as characters rattle off one farewell after another, talking over each other and dragging out the exits, which is hilarious here. The drinking game is another highlight, but the dialogue is packed with gold, easily the film’s best asset. As for craziness, the movie isn’t that insane, but it is just plain offbeat throughout. The awkward performances and dialogue help the score, while the weird vibe and odd style choices also kick in some points. So Blood Lake is an odd duck, to be sure.

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