Das Grauen am See

The first 60 minutes of this movie are really good. Great plot till then. Yasmine Bleeth looks awesome as always. And plays her character more then well. But then all of the sudden the plot turns around in 180 degrees. One of the worst second part of a movie I've ever seen. And the ending is even more disappointing.

A definite bad day for the good cast. Could have been MUCH better if the script writers had put in some more effort.

Those who expected the combination of words "Lake + Yasmine + Bleeth" to equal ninety minutes of the ravishing former Baywatch star parading in colorful bikinis and too tight bathing suits might be *slightly* disappointed, but all the others are likely to be pleasantly surprised after seeing this produced-for-TV 90's thriller. The plot offers absolutely nothing original, as it's just another umpteenth variation on the "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" theme, but the overall atmosphere is remarkably unsettling, the pacing is kept stable without too many boring relapses and the acting performances are more than adequate. If you can accept the unearthly beautiful & voluptuous Bleeth to play the role of an intelligent nurse, you won't have any problems sinking your teeth into the rest of derivative story, neither. Jackie Ivers returns to her little hometown, San Vincento, California, after she received note that her abusive and drunkard father is dying from liver cirrhosis. She immediately notices something isn't kosher in town. Severely injured victims of car accidents happily walk the streets the day after, friendly elderly neighbors turn into grumpy and emotionless people overnight and even Jackie's terminally ill father miraculously cures and transforms into an amiable guy. Long before Jackie does, the attentive and experienced viewer figures out the townsfolk are gradually being replaced with replicas from a parallel dimension, and this through an eerie vortex in the middle of the town's lake. Admittedly you're always several steps ahead of the script, but the film at least contains a handful of well-staged & tense scenes (for example, when neighbor Maggie runs into her own doppelganger) and the paranoid climax even reminded me of the genuinely nostalgic Sci-Fi efforts of the 1950's. Admirers of the lovely Mrs. Bleeth – and, honestly, what male individual on this planet isn't one – are treated to a double portion of eye-candy near the end of the movie and even during that scene she behaves like a professional actress. "The Lake" also stars Haley Joel Osment before he became a world star thanks to "The Sixth Sense" and the always reliable Robert Prosky whose face anyone will recognize. Decent rainy-Saturday-afternoon time-waster.

Cross `Invasion of the Body Snatchers' with `Journey to the Far Side of the Sun' and you get `The Lake,' a better-than-average foray into televised science-fiction fantasy.

Instead of emotionless pod-people, these invaders are exact opposites of their earthbound twins, doppelgangers from a poisoned alternate earth that are repopulating our world through an idyllic portal in the languid waters of a California lake. That is the premise of this creepy little ditty from network TV, starring former-`Baywatch' babe Yasmine Bleeth, Oscar-nominee Haley Joel Osment (`The Sixth Sense') and TV alumni Robert Prosky (`Hill Street Blues') and Marion Ross (`Happy Days').

As a sci-fi fan who considers `Invasion of the Body Snatchers' sacred, I was pleasantly surprised at how easily this derivative tele-chiller captured my interest and managed to build suspense right through to the end. Credit director David Jackson (`Atomic Train'), who appears to treat the genre with genuine respect while treading a well-traveled road. Buy the premise and you'll buy the film.

This NBC TV movie with beauty Yasmine Bleeth who returns home in the place she grew up only to find her town is now strange and different, was one of the better thrillers on TV that I've seen recently. The, Lake is mainly about an invasion of strangers from a parallel universe who cause and do the strangest things to this town. This movie might just have been made into a series if the writers would have thought more. Generally strange happenings with strange towns as the setting seem to make a hit series. To finish out this movie should be watched for the beautiful Yasmine Bleeth. Just like drinking milk does you good, watching a movie and viewing Yasmine does a man good also.

Avoid this film at all costs. I thought a film where a portal is opened to a parallel universe would bring endless possibilities and ideas (eg Stargate, Hellraiser etc) but this portal only leads to a world that is "hell" due to being destroyed by a lack of ozone (how topical!!). We never get to see this other world, and its inhabitants are exactly the same as the first reality, other than a slight mood change.

Bleeth cannot act convincingly in either reality, and there are no redeeming features! Sorry!

The kid from sixth Sense obviously went onto to better things but I doubt anyone else in this pathetic movie will. Watch 'Invasion of the bodysnatchers' for real duplicitous suspense and terror.