It wasn’t on purpose, but the titles of the three latest flicks I picked from my Prime watchlist for a movie marathon happen to begin with the letters L, M, and N. I had a favorite of the trio, so let’s find out which one.
THE LEGEND OF LAKE HOLLOW (2024)
This cabin in the woods flick sends a message about respecting Native American lore and land. The delivery is a bit clunky, but overall I thought it succeeded in delivering eerie atmosphere and a complex and somewhat confusing story until all is explained at the end.
A group of friends comes to a cabin in the woods, and rather than first enjoying some fun at the lake or indulging in slo-mo party montages, they are quickly experiencing odd situations—cries and growls in the woods, apparitions appearing on trail cameras attached to trees around the cabin, and suspicious characters stopping by, like the weird caretaker of the cabin (of course).
Things escalate quickly, and the friends discover someone is targeting them. The phones don’t work, their cars are pushed into the lake, people in the woods seem to be harassing them, they find disturbing video tapes…there’s a lot going on here.
As viewers try to figure out what horror subgenre we’re dealing with, the group spends a lot of time running in and out of the cabin and the woods, slowly peeling off layers of the mystery, including seeing dead people, hearing Native American tribal rituals in the distance, and learning about the legend of an infamous mythological creature.
The most glaring problem with the movie for me was that none of the clues ever come together for the characters, so suddenly at the end, the creepy cool entity that finally makes its appearance has to explain everything in a lengthy monologue.
MISTER SLEEP (2024)
This little indie slasher effort has plenty of glaring, rookie mistakes, but overall it’s a fairly comprehensible plot that goes a bit above the usual storyline to aim for something more lofty. At times that can unnecessarily complicate matters, like an underdeveloped reference to the killer tattooing Viking symbols on the faces of victims, but you kind of just have to go with it if you want to get some slasher satisfaction.
However, even that satisfaction is mostly not too satisfying. For me, the over the top look of the killer was the highlight. He wears a scarecrow mask that is quite a contrast to his hardware-covered leather coat, but the ensemble definitely gives him a presence and makes a statement.
The general plot is that our main girl—a hot mess with agoraphobia and insomnia—is part of an online therapy support group, and pretty soon an executed serial killer seems to be back from the dead and targeting each member of the group for reasons that eventually become clear as the film progresses. I’d say the twist is the most refreshing aspect of the movie, but I did figure it out pretty early on.
The kills are predominantly a letdown, with the killer basically wielding a weapon at his captured victim and then stepping in front of the camera so we can’t see the execution! Every.Time. Sigh.
Thrown into the mix is a silly romance that buds between the main girl and an old friend who keeps stopping by to visit her. It just feels too quaint and forced and serves only to ensure she’s not alone during the final battle when the killer shows up at her house.
NIGHT EXPLORERS: THE ASYLUM (2023)
This film really took me by surprise because it starts off sooooo typical. A bogus “ghost hunting” group with an internet show makes the risky decision to try to garner more interest by attempting to go legit. They choose an old, abandoned mental institution to explore in hopes of capturing some paranormal activity on camera. We’ve seen this plot a million times. Or so it seems…
At first things feel slow and drawn out, sort of like the first part of a found footage film, although this is not found footage.
The group does a lot of talking, there are a couple of partying montages, they reach the mental institution, they settle in, and they start having silly little experiences as they explore the building.
That’s all I can really say, because this film takes a turn that you don’t see coming. Things get violent, gnarly, suspenseful, and claustrophobic. The characters are actually well-developed, providing some familiar archetypes while not being ridiculously cliché.
Notable is when the characters get badly hurt, they don’t just manage to go on with life like they haven’t been turned into a piece of Swiss cheese. Their injuries seriously hinder their ability to escape danger.
To top it all off, the ending is deliciously bleak and drives home the point that this group really made the unfortunate mistake of stumbling into something they never could have foreseen.
