Al di là del lago

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.

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.

Chuck Yoman (Gerald McRaney) and his wife, Rachel (Valerie Harper) lead very busy lives, and live in a very secure home with their kids. Rachel has had enough of the fast pace and stress, and convinces Chuck to move to a rural house on a lake.

At first, all goes well, other than a few backward locals. Then, Chuck decides to take a swim in the lake, and makes a gruesome discovery. Suddenly, he has a very cold swimming partner! He goes to get the Sheriff, but when they return, the evidence has vanished. When the deputy tells a story of several past disappearances, the Yoman's wonder just what sort of place they've moved into. Strange occurrences and more deaths add to the mystery. Can Rachel and Chuck figure it all out... and live?

THE PEOPLE ACROSS THE LAKE is a different kind of suspense thriller. It's got a TWIN PEAKS weirdness mixed in with the chills. It's a black comedy about family dysfunction, wrapped in a psychological horror story. A nice change of pace for the fear fanatic!

Co-stars Barry Corbin in a unique role for him...

Rachel and Chuck Yoman (Valerie Harper, Gerald McRaney), decided the city is too busy and dangerous for their family, so they packed up their reluctant son (Gregory Togel) and daughter (Tammy Lauren) and moved back to a lake like the one Rachel lived at as a child.

They say you can not go home again but this is an ideal rural home with what at first seems like a Mayberry feel. Later the residence seems to be more like the people in Deliverance. Soon bodies start turning up and everybody looks suspect with the exception of a few friendly faces. This does not keep the family from enjoying running around and messing around in the woods.

We find that they have to be super ignorant to find the secrets and not tell anyone until they get ax-cepted as the antagonists.

Can the ignored young Stevie save his parents or will their pursuer(s) put his/her foot in it?

This film is more than most parodies as it was played with strait faces. They could not have chosen better actors and Daryl Anderson was exceptionally creepy. An added plus is that they let us know what is happening before the characters find out, instead of pulling a clue out of the hat after the fact. Anyway this made for TV movie is good for a few laughs.

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!.