Lady of the Lake (1998)

Alas, this was the only picture I could find. For the better, it wasn't one that I hope to remember in the near future, but need to preserve to ensure that this film isn't watched again. Lady of the Lake, a Fangoria release, is out of print. It is obscure. This film is lost - and probably for the better. While I think I will use it in my next horror film contest, this is one of those DTV (direct-to-video) films that should have been lost in the shuffle, but the fine people at Fangoria picked it up, dropped it, and will probably nare release it again.

Filmed on handhelds over the course of six years, our actors as well as our story inconsistently age over the next 82 minutes. That is to say that there wasn't any creativity in this film, it just lacked some of the excitement needed for small independents to survive. Strong nudity coupled with random soul-selling coupled further with a premature zombie fight just seemed like it couldn't find its rhythm. It would introduce characters, like the crazy neighbor that didn't seem to be shocked by the spiritual nature of the lake, but then seemingly drop any structure to build a symmetrical world around him. It centered on David Lowry (Erik Rutherford) and his love of sex and water. Again, seeming like random ideas compiled into one film, it begins to find a niche by milking the idea that the soul needs to find peace, not just wreck havoc on anyone and everything. Taking nothing from Arthurian legend, Lady of the Lake walks its own path - and I guess we should be graceful. I am happy to own this DVD merely to have it in the film store collection for unsuspecting watchers to find - but outside of that - it will not be finding my player anytime soon.

Perhaps the girl was attractive, but not worthy enough to be the infamous Lady of the Lake - no matter which story you are working from.

The idea of traveling back in time to find why this woman is lost was an interesting concept, but it happened too late in the film. The final act, the last twenty minutes, just seemed forced and incoherent, creating a lackluster film experience. While I don't like to compare with big-budget Hollywood films, Lady of the Lake just didn't wet the appetite, both literally and pun-ily.

FAVORITE SCENE: Honestly, anytime the swarmy Christopher Piggins was on screen - he just didn't seem to fit - which made his appearances even more enjoyable. He over-acted, but in a fantasical way.

Found again in the "DVD Delirium Vol. 1" book, this movie will get a yellow mark with a black line. Erasing it from the cannon of films to be watched again. One star people, it wasn't worth the time (sans Piggins). This movie was found on eBay on DVD format.