Ghost Lake is director Jay Woelfel's attempt to revisit the spook story of old. He doffs the customary practice of most modern horror, and the standardized contention that the telling of a situation (that can often be telegraphed a mile ahead) is much more coveted, than the telling of an actual story. This should bring a smile to the face of those who long for a return to the days of classic American film, where movies featured narratives which unfolded and developed, the way they were meant to.
Woelfel has toned down the non-linear, experimental edifice prevalent throughout his earlier film work, this time hoping to integrate a more modernized story concept. Not to say that Woelfel's fans will be disappointed, because they won't. The director's vision is still there, and still very clear. He remains the master at deploying an atmospheric amalgam of abstracted horror archetypes, including an evil little girl, zombies and a beautifully serene lake which, despite its tranquil visage, might just be the gateway to Hell.
Tatum Adair, in her first film role, plays Rebecca Haster, (a name Woelfel cleverly borrows from one of HP Lovecraft's literary works The Whisperer in Darkness), retreats to her parents abandoned cottage in the scenic upstate New York area. The cottage resides along a large lake in a little out-of-the-way community known as Rushford.
In the opening minutes of the film, Rebecca is revealed to be a deeply unsettled woman, who quietly blames herself for the accidental death of her parents. Her guilt-ridden conscience has begun to play havoc on her very soul, as she is constantly confronted by her deceased parents, who appear to her as chilling and accusatory ghostly apparitions. Feeling she is losing her mind, Rebecca withdraws emotionally from everyone and everything, eventually, packing up her things and leaving home. She seeks solace in the isolation that the small lakeside community seems to promise. Little does she know the secrets that the lake hides.
At first, the residents seem to be just the typical lot you might find inhabiting any rural community in any town in the world. Though, as the film progresses, things begin to take a on a much darker tone, and, to borrow a much used phrase; "Things are not what they seem to be." Almost right away, Rebecca begins to see and hear strange things, all of which seem to emanate from the surrounding lake. She notifies the local sheriff Dobbs, when a late night swim turns up a dead body. However, the subsequent recovery effort fails to turn up said body. Later, Rebecca has a run in a with a strange little girl in a library -- a little girl that nobody else can see. There is also a frightening boat accident involving a family, which again, Rebecca bares witness to. Like before, nobody else sees it, and no bodies turn up.
As with Woelfel's other films, ambiguity is constant, in that we are never sure whether Rebecca's paranoia about the various phenomenon is grounded in reality or a figment of her disturbed imagination. Midway into the film, the audience will be questioning whether or not Rebecca is simply going mad, or if these things are really happening. The story slowly descends into a whirlpool of paranoia and fear, as the main character attempts to discern what is really going on in the small town... and in her own mind.
Rebecca methodically begins to unravel the terrifying secrets of Rushford Lake and its surrounding region. Indeed, something is odd happening, including a slew of strange accidents, bizarre deaths and murders, dating back to fifty years along the lake. Adding to the confusion is chilling story of the lake itself, which sheriff Dobbs relates under a moonlit night. Apparently, in 1928, a Power Dam was constructed to back up the water and flood the local valley. When they did this, they submerged a small town in about forty feet of water. A few of the locals who were reluctant to leave, perished. Rebecca discovers that every thirteen years, on the thirteenth day of the month, since the lake was created, a person has died -- equal to the number of victims who perished when the small town was flooded out. With the recent unusual death of a fisherman, she discerns that the cycle should have ended, but strangely, something has gone awry.
There are mercurial alteration in mood and atmosphere in the film. There is also a constant and recognizable dualism at work, as the true motivations of the various characters become apparent as the film moves forward. Unlike most movies, where the bad guy and good guy are distinguishable from the opening frame, Ghost Lake doesn't give up the ghost (please, pardon the pun) until the final frame. Woelfel offers clues, but is smart enough to know that the best endings are the ones that you can't telegraph an hour ahead. The little girl, Azure Sky Decker, who Rebecca befriends during an early morning jog, might not be as sweet and innocent as she seems, or is she? The troubled guy, Stan James, played by Timothy Prindle, that Rebecca falls for after nearly killing him, seems to have her best intentions at heart, or does he? Like her, James is working through the tragic loss of a parent, but like all the other characters in the film, it's hard to decipher whether or not he's telling her the whole story, or why he is really helping her. Lastly, there's sheriff Dobbs, played by Gregory Lee Kenyon. Behind his doggedness and investigation, lurks another person, who seems to be hiding something, just one more thing in a town seemingly filled with deep dark secrets.
By combining mystery and a creepy atmosphere, Lake is sure to entertain those who love a good ghost story. I highly recommend!
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