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First, the Recap:
DON’T GO IN THE WATER!!! A phrase most might construe, with both humor and perhaps some (or a LOT of!) genuine trepidation mind you, with a highly popular notion that stormed the nation in the wake of a certain popular 1975 mainstream film created by some guy named–Spielberg(??)–I think it was? However, let’s go beyond this and realize that the warning it represents has since been utilized quite often in the context of the horror genre overall, to understandable degrees when appropriate. So it then begs the question–WHY does NO ONE LISTEN??!! EVER??!! For a family, consisting of parents Stephen (Eric Newnham) and Claire (Lyindaa Russell) plus their young son Kyle (Kolbe Smith), along with Claire’s college friend Zoe (Candice Fawcett) and her boyfriend Jack (Yakov Kolontarov), what is supposed to be a nicely planned family vacation could turn into a waking nightmare for them all when the locals and other events begin to make them question what exactly IS happening in Bog Lake?
Next, my Mind:
A definitive overall throwback to 80’s-style comedic campiness reminiscent of roadtrip efforts like “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (though for this critic not as funny) paired with more mildly executed elements of “what-is-hinted-at-but-mainly-remains-unseen” horror and a foundational underlying, environmentally aware message, this 100-minute indie feature effort from writer/director/executive producer Steven R. Gustafson along with producers Eric Newnham and Yakov Kolontarov is an eclectically engaging amalgamation of aforementioned cornerstone genres that does successfully pull you along enough to find the chuckles intended while remaining light in its eerie aspects. The primary gist here is FOR comedy, so not that I was anticipating genuine scares by any means, but given the film’s billing as a comedy/horror, I might have still wished it had more of that facet IN it for the sake of how it could have been utilized more for laughs along WITH the straight-up humorous instances, a la “Student Bodies” et al.
With this in mind, the narrative which finds a family and two college friends attempting to enjoy a nice, quiet, but still entertaining venture at a lake resort who end up discovering there’s a lot more going on than meets the eye, the film does very effectively choose to have some absolute amusement via purposefully stereotypical character types to have us follow–the frat boy/jock who’s completely clueless (and ALWAYS hungry! Or drinking!), the charming girl next door, the standard nuclear family unit, and offbeat locals with ominous warnings about not swimming after dark–all intermixing in an utterly dysfunctional vacation scenario that ends up potentially unhealthy for a good number of our folks involved. There’s an absurdity to it, which again IS the ultimate point here, but I found myself not REALLY laughing out loud like I was hoping to, as the joviality conveyed, while silly, just didn’t fully elicit my funny bone to get involved. It was more just trying to appreciate some odes to the decade I feel was most represented while trying to fully ascertain where events were going to end up thematically as a whole.
Now, as mentioned above, there is a direct referencing to the concept of global warming and its impact on our world, the implications and ripple effect of it, and how it could unleash things that have been dormant for many an age, and this was at least one of the main issues being faced by the characters even though remaining mostly veiled throughout. It was this “there’s something in the lake” component that, even FOR horror purposes, just felt underwhelming in its presentation, not because we didn’t want the atmosphere of mystery to be null and void, but more because I admittedly found myself WANTING more OF whatever it was instead of just whispers, insinuations, and inklings via the prototypical underwater perspective imagery we get. Mind you, it isn’t that it doesn’t WORK, but I simply desired MORE to it than this, whether for some still minor but genuine creeps OR for pure tomfoolery. Thematic turns covering the eccentricities of family vacations gone wrong, the potential boredom instead of unending joy, people’s strange behavioral patters clashing, the things we do TO pass time, parenting, relationships, etc all get time here as well.
It came down to performances for me that make the film, and this begins with Newnham in his role as Stephen, a highly exuberant father who is more than unreservedly giddy about the vacation he, his family, and one of his wife’s college friends (with boyfriend in tow) are about to take, always wishing to be on the positive side of things while likewise attempting to keep things light and ideally infuse everyone with the same joy. Russell plays Claire, Stephen’s wife who is also one to create an atmosphere of levity and relaxation as the group travels to, arrives, and tries to settle into their time away, even as she’s also carrying she and her hubby’s new addition. However, her moments of bliss tend to get interrupted or otherwise she becomes the interruption to others’ moments of fun while still managing to also be a needed voice of reason when things get too out of hand. Smith plays Kyle, Stephen and Claire’s son who has the typical demeanor and attitude a child of his age possesses, both wanting to always be involved with things the older folks are doing even when he shouldn’t while also having a curiosity and stubbornness that could spell trouble.
Kolontarov honestly plays scene-stealer on a multitude of levels through his turn as Jack, the complete portrait of oblivious party boy/God’s gift to ALL, who only seems to be focused on eating, getting drunk, needing more food, and wanting to do all the things the group has been warned NOT to do, taking nothing seriously, and often trying to spout “wisdom” that is truly anything but. Fawcett plays Zoe, Jack’s disarmingly charming and amicable (except when Jack gets to being too much, well, Jack) girlfriend and Claire’s college friend who provides us with a beautifully executed ode (only with a LITTLE more revealing attire) to the department store scene in “Christmas Vacation” as well as doing her best to be everyone’s friend while only doing what Cyndi Lauper always implored girls just want to do–have fun! I am being intentional in giving the characters themselves their overview above in order to say that this cast of actors plays off each other very well, and the manner in WHICH they do adds the kind of playfulness, humor, and even dramatic impetus that makes the movie what it is to wonderful effect.
Each of these actors so perfectly embodies the persona they are to represent as indicated above, and I fully enjoyed watching them be as overtly over-the-top in how they portray these hysterically clichéd characters to a “T”, which suits the film with distinct and appropriate magnitudes of mirth, though I STILL found the grander presence of all-encompassing “LOL” hilarity somewhat lacking. A primary supporting role comes to pass mainly through Clayton Spiess as Caretaker Clayton, the ward of the cabin the group is staying in and the consistent harbinger of dire warnings to them about the lake and the nighttime around the resort. His genuine concern for them is only tempered by his constant ability to avoid answering their inquiries about what he’s speaking of anytime they try to get more details. Additional supporting turns are made here by James Constine Jr., Craig Ludwig, Charles Martin, James Geake, Kari A. Welzien, Joe Zyhowski, Todd Powell, Steven R. Gustafson, and Johnny Smith.
So, in total, “Secret Of Bog Lake” finds itself buoyed by its actor’s performances, coming up decent on the hoots, too subdued on the horror, but relevant in its fundamental message about the lurking dangers of our ever-fluctuating, now more-so deteriorating, planetary wellness. I give full credit for the passionate heart that beats at the core of this film, though, as THAT is precisely what drives independent cinema to be what this critic feels is the imperative notion the movie industry as a whole should heed, in a word–NECESSARY.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
