Purely Joyful Movie!

one of my absolute favorites!

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

The first half of this film is unimpressive. It's filled with clichés and grossly overused horror movie tactics… like jump scares, strange sounds, filming as if it's the point of view of someone watching, running off into the darkness, etc. It's pretty much EXACTLY what you'd expect from a movie about teens in the woods. At some point… all that changes though. Once the film reaches its climax… It kinda hangs out up there for a minute… you just KEEP getting hit with things you either didn't see coming, or didn't see them coming in that particular way. And by the end you're just like… "Boy that escalated quickly."However, it drops the ball with character development. You don't really identify with or have any sympathy for these kids. You're just kinda waiting for whatever is gonna come and ruin their little lives. They just weren't that interesting. Overall I enjoyed this enough to recommend it to horror fans. Full commentary WITH spoilers on YouTube/Twitter @moviebuffchick1https://youtu.be/YaYzIrO1zNw

This film (in Finnish with English subtitles) riffs off a real-life unsolved crime in 1960, in which two teenage couples were stabbed and bludgeoned during the night while camping by Lake Bodom, near Espoo, Finland. Three of the four were killed, the fourth injured severely.In the movie, directed by Taneli Mustonen, another set of teens – two girls and two guys – camp at the site where the 1960 incident took place. The guys ostensibly want to re-enact the crime to test a theory. To lure the girls into coming along, the guys tell them they're going go a party at a lakeside cabin. The girls play along but have their own agendas.It's never clear that the characters are two couples. Elias (Mikael Gabriel) and Nora (Mimosa Willamo) swim together in their underwear and then retreat to the tent, but the film is ambiguous about what, if any, shenanigans take place therein. Ida (Nelly Hirst-Gee) and Atte (Santeri Helinheimo Mäntylä) hang out by the campfire until they decide it's safe to join their friends in the tent – that Elias and Nora probably are done doing whatever they were doing.But if that last point implies that Elias and Nora were fooling around, one might expect them to die first, according to convention for slasher films. Instead, socially awkward Atte is the first to go, stabbed from behind while poking his head into the tent to speak with Ida, who can't see the attacker.Elias is the alpha male, a heavily tattooed, Polynesian-looking guy who seems out of place in rural Finland. Atte is a geek, a long-haired guy with self-esteem issues. Ida is a stunning blonde trying to emerge from a dark period in her past, her face masked in sadness. Her friend Nora is wild, tomboyish brunette.Like many Scandinavian films, Lake Bodem is visually dark and austere. The production quality is professional, and there is some interesting camera work.As the various teens' agendas emerge, the plot takes a number of surprising twists, perhaps too many. I found the conclusion to be muddled, with little explanation or motive.Variety reported in February that the AMC Networks-backed genre streaming service Shudder had picked up the rights to Lake Bodom and would start streaming it in May 2017.###Stu Robinson does writing, editing, media relations and social media through his business, Phoenix-based Lightbulb Communications.

Like anything in life, or I have come to believe this "ratio", 98% of anything is shite, find the 2% that is worth your time.This is worth your time. Like tommyknocker's lone review makes note of; there's a creepy tone to this film, rarely seen since Just Before Dawn.Thinking back, this very well could be paying some homage to JBD...the atmospheres, the droning score, right down to the outro music. It was the first film that came to mind as the credits rolled.Discussing the topic of the film will only reveal spoilers, but this, not unlike The Windmill Massacre, sheds a lot of light into the world of excellent Nordic horror.

5,1 out of 10 is a disgrace to this film. Well-paced, well-acted, suspenseful and a somewhat original plot (see for yourself) with a few good twists and turns. The very most parts of the film take place in the woods, and the solid nature definitely builds up a true horror atmosphere to the film."Lake Bodom" also has this great unsettling "nerve" to it, which reminds me of some of the best classic 80s horror flicks like "Just Before Dawn" and "The Burning". In my opinion "Lake Bodom" is the best Finnish horror flick out there. Well worth a watch for horror hounds and/or people who appreciate an entertaining, thrilling 85 minute ride!