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Each of the four people who gather in this lake house is a bit heightened, with their own messy characteristics and oversized emotions. Rosen's Tom internalises everything, while Fletcher's inebriated Kathy constantly screams for attention and Wilson's dude-bro Mark is a swaggering chatterbox. Isabel has the most intriguing role as the thoughtful, textured Jess, who has her own issues but is trying to see people and situations as they are.

Oddly, the menace here doesn't feel particularly demonic: this is essentially a story about some sort of malevolent lake-dwelling monster that invades people's minds and warps perceptions, blurring the lines between reality, nightmares and deep-seated fears. So there's plenty in here to keep us freaked out as things get exponentially grisly. Without something particularly evil going on, the peril feels out of reach. Even so, we can sit back and admire the filmmakers' impressive odyssey of sights and sounds.

themes, language, violence

18.Aug.24

While there are moments that are played with either serious or emotional edges, the general tone is silly, so these likeable actors have a lot of fun. They also of course struggle to navigate the whiplash tonal shift when things turn suddenly serious. Kilbey is the one doing the most heavy lifting in this sense, but his inner turmoil doesn't really resonate. More interesting is his awkward connection with Smith's sparky Daisy, adding an emotional angle that only tangentially registers.

Writer-director Coleman is much more effective when he centres on central joke that this witch needs four male members in order to achieve her purest form, so the film becomes a stalker-style horror as men are taken out one by one. This builds to a properly jaw-dropping sight gag. And if you're looking for a message here, that would be in Neil's frantic admonishment: "This is what you get when you don't read the contract, Alan."

themes, language, violence, sexuality

5.Aug.24

McDonald and Postlethwaite are excellent in remarkably textured roles. Lena and Daniel are extremely complex people, becoming more intriguing the more we get to know them. We don't exactly like them, but we want to spend more time with them. Lena's free-spirited attitude contrasts strongly with Daniel's timidity, so as the situation evolves, what they're facing begins to feel genuinely terrifying. And their interaction gets increasingly dark and unsettling.

With each new situation, the film becomes increasingly harrowing, sending the plot in some very nasty directions. After the warmer, lighter scenes in the first half, it's almost heart-stopping when the story's ultimate message turns out to be almost outrageously bleak. But then, this means that Wilkinson did her job expertly, pulling us so deeply into the situation that we vividly feel the distress and desperation. And also, thankfully, the relief.

themes, language, violence, sexuality

6.Aug.24