De dødes tjern

After reading marvels about this one, considered a norwegian classic by some, I expected great things, but I think my expectations were over the top.

First off, my lack of knowledge on norwegian cinema is... complete. This was nominated the 4th best norwegian film of all time. I can't make any judgments on that. I'm very far from knowing enough movies from Norway to say anything at all, although I do believe it "may" be one of the best from that country. But it's certainly far from being one of the best movies ever.

For a horror movie and from what I read, I expected a scary or at least a tense movie with some atmosphere. I'm sorry, but the truth is that this movie hardly has any suspense at all, let alone scariness and real terror/horror. It lacks real atmosphere, being mostly about a group of adult people spending time with each other in an isolated but beautiful place where they experiment a few but brief tense moments. There is some gorgeous norwegian cinematography - the forests and the big lake which look stunning even in black and white.

This was a bit of a disappointment after having heard very intriguing things about it. A group of friends go to a lakeside rural cabin that has "mysterious disappearance"/haunting-type legends attached to it, and where one visitor's brother was last known to be--but he's seemingly disappeared. The setup is fine, but the movie plays a bit like a television omnibus hour from the era (like "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" or "Suspense") in that its generic, overlit professional craftsmanship doesn't really suit the material--nor does the over-emphasis on character comedy. There's way too much talking, and when all is finally explained, it's a garrulous muddle of the pedantic and the fantastical that is offered in the undifferentiating lecture tones of a science class. This would actually be a better movie if it were less slickly produced--but then, others found it highly "atmospheric," while I thought that was its worst lack, so go figure.

Don't let the previous poster scare (no pun intended) you away from seeing this film. It has a very good cast made up of seasoned Norwegian actors (including the writer himself, Andre Bjerke), and the plot is very good acted out. Now, it would be really unfair to compare Norwegian films made in the 1950's with their Hollywood counterparts then and now - they were made on very tight budgets and usually played for a limited audience. However, this film (made in creepy black and white) has some outstanding scenes that made me (at least) really very uneasy. It's really a very good attempt to make an exiting movie out of a brilliant psychological thriller novel. I think it still - even by today's standard - has a very high entertainment value, just as it had about 50 years ago. No CGI effects here - just good, solid acting!

This is a fine effort in the horror/thriller genre. Coming out in 1958 and from Norway you wouldn't think so but...it works...trust me.

First off, the acting in the first say...15 minutes or so...is pretty lame. I guess it's due to the "un-hollywood" like skills of the actors but after it dissipates, the rest of the story/film is a mystery until the end.

Basic premise is that 6 friends go to a cabin at a remote lake to meet up with one of their brothers to relax and have a good time. Turns out the lake they go to has a bad history and the rest of the film we learn about it's secrets. We also learn about most of the friends who show up while they sit a debate where the missing brother has gone or if he's dead or not. It's mostly a talky all the way until the end but it really does grab your attention. You may think of a Friday the 13th feel to this but what you won't get is blood and gore. What you do get is an intricate story that hold you to the couch right until the end.

This one is considered one of the top 5 Norwegian films made..and I can see why. If you give this one a chance you'll see why also.

"Lake of the Dead" is the story of a six young friends who travel from Oslo to Østerdalen in order to spend a few relaxing days in a cabin deep in the woods.Once they arrive,the brother(who had gone to the cabin some time before)of one of the women appears to have disappeared.A local legend claims that a one-legged man who died 100 years ago still roams the woods and hypnotizes people to drown themselves in a small lake.He murdered his sister and her lover,then drowned himself in the dark waters.Despite its age "Lake of the Dead" still managed to creep me out.The mystery of the lake is interesting and the climax is truly creepy.There is an eerie legend,a one-legged crow and the lake itself that easily could have been a murderer.The film has some striking similarities to Sam Raimi's "The Evil Dead",but I strongly doubt that Raimi has seen it.It's a crying shame that "Lake of the Dead" is so unknown and still unreleased on DVD.9 out of 10.