The People Across the Lake

A family moves into a new lakeside home and discovers a terrible secret about the community -- that there are a series of unsolved murders in the area. It's a movie you can watch on television or streaming. A family moves into a new lakeside home and discovers a terrible secret about the community -- that there are a series of unsolved murders in the area and they aren't sure what is going on. Anyway, not much more to add but the acting is very good and the script isn't as bad as a lot of the reviews here say. It's a mistake to watch this as a comedy unless you're really young or just like sci Fi movies.

Well, this is an unusual little number. Other reviews range from 'okay' to 'not particularly glowing' to 'blah', but the plot sounded intriguing enough to me, and it's got a good cast.

Yes, it contains many of the standard made-for-tv melodrama features: sitcom stars Harper and McRaney--flipped from their usual light-hearted TV personas and quite convincing as a couple tired of the stress of city life; their winsome little kid and wiseacre teenager; and apparently enough money to go from their nice place in the city to a little slice of lakeside heaven.

As it progressed, I found that it went from average tv-movie quality to a pretty nifty (if unlikely) ending; the suspense in the last few scenes is especially good. The two leads are well matched and you root for them. Some viewers may guess who the heavy is but it's atmospheric--the lakeside locales are lovely -it moves along briskly, and is well acted. Worth a watch.

This was very very hokey. There were things that happened in this film that happened then it went to commercial break and when they returned they were forgotten. I didn't watch the whole thing because I fell asleep and I am glad I did. An easy one to guess through if you can stay that long. I didn't find a minute of my awake state during this movie to be exciting enough to keep my attention. I usually try and stay awake through movies just so I don't miss anything, even if I wasn't happy with what I was watching, but with this one I hoped for sleep. Granted I could have gotten up but the couch was so comfortable and I wasn't in control of the remote. Miss this one.

Don't think of this movie as a horror movie; as such it would be a disastrous "1". It's almost entirely predictable and you've certainly seen everything in it before in movies that are far, far better. Instead, think of this movie as a comedy/parody. If you do so, then it's at least a "5" (out of 10).

It begins ordinarily enough, but as the movie goes on, watch as Barry Corbin goes farther and farther over the top. By the end, it has truly become hilarious.

Some weekend afternoon, when it runs on The Mystery Channel or some other cable/ satellite channel, cue it up and practice your Mystery Science Theater 3000 routine but in the horror genre: You won't be disappointed -- this movie is the Mother of all horror movie Bombs.

Atlant

The premise of the story is common enough; average family wants out of the rat race; wants to find the simple life....so they move from Sherman Oaks,California to Lake Tomahawk; kids in tow.

The lake is beautiful, they have leased an old house....but wait; there may be something in the lake; people are being murdered, and no one knows how (never mind why). Gerald McRaney is excellent, a familiar face for Lifetime viewers; Valerie Harper is also good; since this film was made in '88 maybe the writer should produce a sequel!.

You will also enjoy Barry Corbin as the town eccentric, and Darryl Anderson as a Bruce Dern-lookalike/crazed military man.

While the story plot is a bit over the top; if you are a movie buff you will be reminded of similar scenarios from ""Psycho""; ""Deliverance""; as well as other horror stories of that genre. Several camera shots and sequences will give you a sense of deja vu.

Sit back and enjoy; if you don't take it too seriously it is very entertaining; and better than, for example the more recent movie:

""I Know What You Did Last Summer""; it seems they made better movies in the good old 80's!.