Bone Lake (2024) review: A slow burn thriller with a splatter finale

Welcome to Knockout Horror. We have a movie today that features a lakeside mansion, lots of sunshine, and a manipulative, sex-obsessed couple who are about to make another couple’s getaway just that little bit more interesting. We are reviewing Bone Lake (2024).

A quick plot breakdown

The story sees couple Diego (Marco Pigossi) and Sage (Maddie Hasson) heading to a stunningly beautiful lakeside property for a weekend of relaxation. Their stay is immediately disrupted, however, when another couple, Will (Alex Roe) and Sin (Andra Nechita) arrive claiming that they have also booked the place.

“I really didn’t know what the hell I was getting myself in for when I witnessed a dude getting an involuntary ball-sack piercing in the first two minutes.”

Rather than waste the vacation, the two couples decide to share the property. Little do Diego and Sage realise, they are in for a weekend that will be far from relaxing as their dream getaway turns into a tense and deadly game of cat and mouse.

I wasn’t necessarily excited for this one

So, full disclosure before we start. I wasn’t exactly looking forward to this movie. There’s something about that “erotic thriller” tag that doesn’t fill me with hope. On top of that, I absolutely hated director Mercedes Bryce Morgan’s previous effort Spoonful of Sugar (2022). That was another erotic thriller but it felt extremely try hard and really quite dull.

I’m happy to say that Bone Lake is a definite improvement. Now, don’t get me wrong here. It’s not going to be in the running for any “best of the year” awards but it is definitely watchable. It’s almost like a mash up of Funny Games, Speak No Evil, and The Rental.

I should probably say, as well, that the initial opening sequence isn’t really indicative of where this movie is going. I didn’t know what the hell I was getting myself in for when I saw a dude getting an involuntary ball-sack piercing in the first two minutes. That’s about as vulgar as the movie gets, though. After that, it’s a fairly straight forward thriller.

The first two acts are formulaic… (very formulaic)

The first half plays out as something of a dark comedy psychological drama. Our protagonists Diego and Sage are, evidently, going through some relationship struggles. They are devoted to each other but things are not where they should be in the bedroom department. Diego is an aspiring writer and Sage is bearing the financial burden of supporting his dreams.

Will and Sin are the complete opposite. They are vivacious and hyper-sexed, providing an interesting contrast. You can probably already see where this is going. The first half of the movie meanders around presenting us with scene after scene of generic couple vacation shenanigans.

Chilling by the pool, lots of drinking, and the occasional awkward interaction. Rumblings of the property’s sinister history, including a potential link to a notorious serial killer, do cause a little alarm but nothing to spoil the fun. The couples, after all, are trying to make the best of a bad situation.

It’s, honestly, not all that interesting but does have the occasional laugh. I would be lying, however, if I said I wasn’t checking the runtime and wondering when the good stuff would start. Had Bone Lake kept pursuing this approach, I think it would be a tough recommend.

It’s not even as if it has a lot of the typical stuff that fans of erotic thrillers sign up for. There is very minimal nudity, the sexual elements are ultra-tame, and it’s about as safe as this type of genre flick could possibly be. Things do get better, though.

You have to stick with it

Depending on what you are here for, you will either find a lot of this preamble quite interesting or utterly mind numbing. The psycho-thriller leanings mean there is a serious lack of action and a hell of a lot of mind games. As it goes on, it starts to sag more and more with the story absolutely begging for a more engaging hook than “damn these guys are kooky!“.

It’s around the one hour mark that things start to get a bit more compelling. I know, I get it, that sounds like a huge ask. One whole hour of formulaic thriller dullness but I would say the movie is most definitely worth sticking with. After all, you have made it this far, you might as well get the payoff.

It starts to become clear that Will and Sin’s intentions aren’t exactly pure. What began as a vague attempt to plant seeds of doubt in each of our protagonist’s minds quickly devolves into something far more sinister.

That hook has finally arrived but, again, late in the day. When the story really opens up, it becomes far more satisfying and compelling. Everything that seemed quite vague up until this point suddenly comes together and Bone Lake undergoes something of a metamorphosis. All of which is kicked off by a Scooby Doo style bad guy reveal.

Transforms into all out splatter-horror chaos

The psycho-thriller vibes evaporate and, out of nowhere, we are watching a cat-and-mouse survival movie with some serious splatter-horror leanings. It’s actually a real surprise. We have chainsaws, axes, fingers being removed, legs being stabbed, and an absolute ton of gore.

“The final act is one that a lot of horror fans are going to really enjoy. It’s chaotic, eccentric, unashamedly cheesy, and full of b-movie slasher charm.”

Director Mercedes Morgan has managed to pull off that rarest of feats in switching a thriller up into a full blown horror. It’s actually a ton of fun, as well. The dark humour that occasionally reared its head earlier in the film suddenly feels far more at home amidst the carnage.

Over-the-top protracted villain monologues and clumsy exposition dumps don’t feel like a huge problem when it is set against a backdrop of ridiculous fight scenes and a ton of claret. Sure, it’s predictable but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable.

Bone Lake is one of those movies that benefits massively from dropping the overly psychological, and fairly unsatisfying, pretense and getting to the outrageous violence. The final act is one that a lot of horror fans are going to really enjoy. It’s chaotic, eccentric, unashamedly cheesy, and full of b-movie slasher charm.

Fantastic performances and great direction

Naturally, whether you think the effort is worth the result is totally dependent on your tolerance for psychological thrillers. On the plus side, the early stages are supported by some genuinely decent performances. Maddie Hasson, as Sage, is particularly noteworthy for her very natural style of acting. She is extremely believable and handles both the random drama stuff and the action scenes immensely well.

Alex Roe and Andra Nechita seem to be having a great time playing Will and Sin. They really come into their own whenever they get to really lean into the more sinister side of their characters. I quite enjoyed Marco Pigossi’s switch to proper b-movie style line delivery in the last act, as well. He seemed to really get the vibe.

I think Morgan is a seriously promising director. A lot of her shot choices are very reminiscent of retro 70s horror and she seems to have a good feel when it comes to actual horror sequences. She knows how to make these moments a lot of fun. Again, I wasn’t a fan of Spoonful of Sugar but the payoff to that movie was really enjoyable, too.

I’d like to see her take on a full blown slasher movie. I think she could do a great job when given the opportunity to really lean into all out carnage. Horror is supposed to be outrageous fun and that’s something she really gets.

Our Scoring Philosophy: A Fair Fight

Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.

A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.

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