Loon Lake

This was great indie psychological thriller. It had some unexpected twists and turns, so left me surprised rather than i knew exactly what was going to happen. I liked how it kept changing in time, to the past and present and thought they did a good job with that, also the acting and script.

Loon Lake is an amazing indie horror film, from Ansel Faraj, staring Nathan Wilson, David Selby and Kathryn Leigh Scott. It tells the tale of Louis Olsen, a broken young man trying to escape the city and his past. Louis is then confronted with legend of Mary Jane Terwilliger, the Witch of Loon Lake...

I'm not gonna spoil any of it here, you'll just have to go watch it yourself, trust me it's worth it.

The Movie is a beautiful mix of folk Horror, ghost story and mystery, with a deeply melancholy atmosphere throughout. The cinematography is reminiscent of people like Dean Cundey and John Coquillon and the whole thing come across as a throw back to 70s cinema.

I can't gush enough, about this Movies! It's rare these days, that I'm actually surprised by a movie, especially in this genre. It just proves that you should never judge a movie by its budget!

I thought this movie was very well made. You can tell at times it's a low budget Indie film, but what it lacks with budget it makes up with acting, writing and pulse. Mind bending and thought provoking. I'll have to watch it again to catch all the fine details.

This movie is awful. It makes no sense. What is the deal with the witch? Is she a good flower-child, but the 1800s version? Is she an evil seductress? And the woman who plays he is the absolute worst actress I have ever seen. This is not a horror movie, either. Nothing happens and nothing makes sense. And why introduce Gracie if she just disappears?

David Shelby was good as Emery. That's the only positive thing I can say.

Loon Lake (2019) not to be confused with Loon Lake (2022) is an ambitious microbudget that doesn't get bogged down with too many micro-budget production issues to distract you from the narrative.

The elements of period piece sprinkled throughout, a big "no-no" for filmmakers on a budget, are produced admirably. David Selby carries these scenes (as well as several in the main narrative) as a corrupted and conflicted Pastor.

Selby is the highlight of the film for me playing both a Heston-esque town-leader with a deep, booming voice, before transforming into the caring, soft-spoken neighbor just a few scenes later.

Performances are relatively strong throughout the cast with some notable exceptions for a little ham and cheese. I found myself chuckling at a scene where Louis has named his fists, a clearly tongue in cheek moment that seems a little out of place in an otherwise straight horror film.

I think the biggest faults of the film are when it tries to emulate it's Hollywood counterpart a little too closely. Louis emerging from the shed, axe in hand, calling out into the darkness, "I'm ready for you!" is a trope I've seen a few too many times with horror films for the last few decades, and while it reminds us that we're watching a genre piece, I'm not so sure it's necessary as we're inching closer to our climax.

I can appreciate the restraint. It has to be tempting to rush to jump scares and violent scenes, but Loon Lake relies more on it's atmosphere. When we do get those scares, they are earned and effective. It's an incredibly tough technical feat to pull off, and I'm happy to witness emerging filmmakers taking those risks for the sake of a project that they are clearly very passionate about.

As a kid from the cornfields of Illinois, I can appreciate the horror of isolation and the dread of existence in a nearly deserted town.

As with any film, it's not for everyone, but Selby alone is worth your time if you are looking to give something off-the-radar a chance.