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Cast: Michael Madsen, Dustin Booth, Morgan Simpson, Grinnell Morris, Shi Ne Nielson
Fifteen years after the government permanently evacuated their town to stop a strange disease from spreading, old friends return home, dredge up suppressed memories, struggle to exorcize personal demons and fall under attack by an unknown assailant.
Clear Lake, WI involves Kyra Sannhet, a documenting reporter investigating the events of what happened at Clear Lake, a now abandoned town whose waters were polluted and children kidnapped and murdered, all done by a guy simply known as “The Reverend.” Kyra gathers up four of his closest disciples, Reed, Beth, Sam and Michael and they return to Clear Lake to try and get answers to what happened and why. These four who were the closest to the Reverend agree to go back in order to face the demons that has haunted them all these years and hopefully find closure in it all. But what they don't is someone has followed them back to Clear Lake and they may not make it home alive. This is a psychological thriller that is more psychological than thrilling at least for the first hour or so. The film is slow moving but that's not really a bad thing here, when the group gets to Clear Lake they are taken one at a time and interviewed about what had happened, this is a great part of the film because you really get to know the characters as real people and you feel for each and everyone of them in some way. I found the story to be compelling with a touch of suspense early which builds towards the exciting climax. The killer is kept secret till towards the end and you really have no clue early on who it might be. Director, Brian Ide did a great job at keeping the audience invested even during the slow parts of the film by blending an interesting story with characters that have depth and even during the slow parts of the film he still manages to keep the pace steady. The cast was terrific here and Michael Madsen is fantastic as “The Reverend.” He is seen only in flashbacks but when he is on screen he manages to be creepy like only he can. Shot mostly outdoors so there's no expensive sets or props used but it all creates the perfect atmosphere needed for a the film. Clear Lake isn't going to be a film you remember for a long time but for that hour and a half spent watching it you are going to be drawn in by it's look, story and it's characters some of which will touch you others might make you a bit uneasy.
I highly enjoyed the film, if you like a good thriller with depth that makes you think a bit then I highly suggest picking this up today. The DVD comes with Special Features that include:
Behind The Scenes
Auditions
Audio Commentary
Bloopers
Trailer
You can order the DVD HERE.
Released by Osiris Entertainment
*** 1/2 Out Of *****