Heaven's Pond - Prigioniera di un incubo

Devil's Pond (2004)

I was very surprised when I read all of the terrible remarks on this film. I thought this movie was great. I saw comments remarking that the film must have had a cheap budget because there was a small cast, but that's because the story was about two people all alone in the woods on an island. Who else would be there? I mean come on! Tara Reid gives a great performance. This film is about Julianne (Tara Reid) and her husband Mitch (Kip Pardue). The two are newlyweds and are on their honeymoon on a small island in a cabin. Mitch begins to go insane, and sinks their boat. Since Julianne can't swim, she cannot get off the small island, and as Mitch becomes more and more insane, she realizes that she may not make it off the island ever- and if she does, only one of them are going to be alive.

This film reminded me of Misery, and it was very suspenseful and entertaining. 10/10.

The name of this flick is so misleading. There's nothing devilish, evil or occult about Devil's Pond, which is why I was disappointed to discover that this was another dime a dozen "escape!" thriller film after picking it up at random. But hell, it's nothing too bad at all, which surprised me. This flick has some balls I did not expect it to have at all. However, the viewers of this movie seem to be divided into two factions: those who claim it's quite good, and those who say it sucks donkey testicles. I'll have to say that most of you are wrong, as this is not a great movie, nor is it poor - it's just another average thriller.

This is pretty much adequate in all areas, and the plot isn't the best, but it's better than other movies of its ilk by far (The Keeper, blah). The acting is pretty well done, and the script isn't lacking much. The way the plot plays out could've been better, as its execution is not the best, but it works, and it did keep me watching for a solid hour and a half. There are a few obvious plot holes, but they don't detract from the film enough to make it unwatchable. There's nothing here that will bug you too much, so if you're bored, pop it in. That's about all it's good for, but I've certainly seen worse.

The plot of this film seemed rehashed from a couple of other thrillers like Misery, The Collector, Single White Female and Sleeping with the Enemy. I give this film a fair rating because I'm an avid thriller fan, otherwise this would be harshly rated.

The film has a very standard, unoriginal plot, nearly just like other thriller; A girl is in danger from a guy, and she must try to escape from his clutches, except the location is wholly different, an isolated island.

The dialogue comes across as corny at parts. The acting by Tara Reid is pretty awkward at times, but she did a good job. The husband's acting was dull, and I thought him smoking in nearly every scene was annoying and distracting.

Although this film is less than 85 minutes, I thought it went for too long. There were some slow scenes throughout. I didn't like how every time she tries to escape and he taunts her, yet she still loves him - though at the end though she fakes it. I mean, from the first fight, she shouldn't even have forgave him. She should've tried to escape from the beginning, really, as there was nothing nice about him.

Besides those flaws, the film was pretty suspenseful at parts, which that was helped by the tense and adrenaline pumping score. For a TV film, it did have good scenes of high tension and suspense. It's a fun thriller to watch, although it shouldn't be taken seriously.

The whole exotic, yet isolated, setting made it stand out from its predictabilities, clichés and slow scenes. And let's not forget the good direction and suspenseful moments - though it did needed more of those suspenseful scenes.

Not bad for the genre, if only because the filmmakers stayed away from the usual cliches. I was thoroughly entertained for ninety minutes without having to stop and think too hard, either about bad plot or bad script and that's all I wanted.

Looks like a mid-week telemovie and stars Tara Reid beginning to regret her recent nuptials to Kip Pardue, after he goes berserk on their honeymoon, turning out to be a grade-A psycho who's been stalking her, grooming her as his prized possession. He seems to develop an obsessive psychosis as he manhandles her around his 'island' (an idyllic setting surrounded by a lake which is useful, because she has a mortal fear of drowning), controlling her behaviour, opinions and generally engaging in ever-escalating forms of domestic violence. Initially surprised, she gradually becomes aware he's not the man she thought he was, by which time, it's too late and she must fight fire with fire in order to escape "devil's island".

Momentum is present, the gradual escalation too, but the film never quite manages the "psychological thriller" for which it appears to be aiming. Tara's make-up and hair never seem to match the ferocity of Kip's brutal attacks, his creepy, emotionally detached persona done reasonably well. If you can't cop Tara, or for that matter Kip, then you're in trouble because they're essentially the entire cast, although Meredith Baxter-Birney has a very minor role.

I've read that this is an independent film which explains the sometimes amateurish look and feel, though given the film's small scale, this isn't necessarily a deal-breaker. If you can suspend disbelief for long enough to accept the human headline, minor celebrity of Tara Reid attempting a vaguely important role, then this will be sufficient to pass the time.