User reviews

''Black Lake'' is a Nordic series (Danish, Swedish and Norwegian co-production) that attempts to mingle a classic mystery whodunit plot with supernatural horror elements and, in my opinion, the result was rather poor especially in the second season. The story involves the visit to an abandoned ski resort by a group of young Danish and Swedish people, in order to repair and reopen it. But the place has its own secrets and soon sinister phenomena begin to affect the visitors who will have to unearth the secrets of the past in order to stay alive and get out of there in one piece. The first season casts some really talented Scandinavian actors with Sarah-Sofie Boussnina's exquisite beauty shining in the 8 episodes of the first cycle. In the second season the actors involved are Filip Berg, who is the connecting link between the two seasons as he is the only actor selected to perform the role of the spoiled rich kid Johan, André Eriksen and Hedda Stiernstedt who delivers a great performance as the sensitive and goodhearted Minnie. I think that the first season was better in terms of both plotting and characterization while the second had a rather weak story with uneven pacing and lack of climax in the ending. The supernatural element, which had a major significance in season 1, has no clear function in the story and it could be even totally omitted by the production with no consequences as far as the plot is concerned. I have to say that my rating (3/5 stars) concerns the first season while if I had to rate the second one it would be closer to 2/5 stars. Overall, ''Black Lake'' is certainly not the hottest Nordic Noir television production, nevertheless it offers some thrilling and chilling moments, especially in the first season. Both seasons are consisted of 8 episodes of 45 minutes each, so it makes for a rather quick watch. It is recommended for the fans of the genre but I would be hesitant to suggest it to a wider audience.

Right from the start season 1 was very mysterious and scary. Not always logical, but very exciting nevertheless. I loved the enchanting winter scenery. Season 1 gets a rate from me of 8.

Season 2 was very boring. Also the sect / commune was very annoying. After 3 episodes it still did not capture our attention, so we skipped the rest. Season 2 gets a rate from me of 2.

When a group of good looking 20 something Swedes head off for a skiing holiday to a remote ski lodge, it turns out that more than Skiing, Schnapps and Sex are on the agenda. Unknown to them twenty years previously a family staying at the lodge had been brutally murdered. This of course means strange things start to happen. Lights flicker on and off books fly off shelves and one by one the group start acting strangely. All this and throw in a creepy caretaker and a cellar that no one will dare enter, and you have an above average thriller set in the stunning Swedish mountains. 7/10

Hedda Stiernstedt, she got the whole pakkage and keeped me watching. When the writers had more fantasy, like i have in mine dreams, it had become more potential and 4sure a S3

In short - it's really good. The Swedish horror takes a great deal of unoriginal and common themes, but manages to connect them in such a way, that it's hard to stop watching. The movies strengths, are most definitely:

• Aesthetics: (from the intro, to the scenery to the actors themselves, the movie is beautiful and it's cold atmosphere works well with the plot).
• Properly done shots: I personally dislike many of "spoiling" horror shots or predictable scenes. 'Black Lake' does have a couple of those, but not enough to spoil the fun.
• Music - not intrusive but atmospheric (and fitting well the movie's aesthetics)
• Ending - while there is one detail which annoyed me in the ending, what I like is that here it doesn't come in a 'one big bang' but unfolds through at least 2 episodes and reveals more than one secret.

The weaknesses:

• Uneven perfomance - varying not as much between characters, as between the same characters in different episodes. Sometimes it's really good, however at some scenes you get the impression the protagonists are dull inside. Perhaps it's intended though
• Characters doing stupid things - okay, so this one is extremely common in horrors and 'Black Lake' is not the worst one... but neither clean of this sin. A person who - by themselves even though they can call their boyfriend/girlfriend or simply friends, decided to visit a creepy cellar alone? Stupid. And what's worse is that this behaviour repeats to the very end (even when the character's are perfectly aware of the dangers).

If there's ever season 2 I will certainly watch it

Biggest load of rubbish I've watched in ages. Never got better. Totally artificial. Not possible to suspend disbelief at any time in this poor show. Poor script and ludicrous plot. As much as the story line has some credibility it fell into nonsense. It could not be taken remotely seriously.

"This place has taken everything from me." -Johan

Season one is probably the best ghost story I have seen in a long time. It is incredibly atmospheric with shades of Steven King's The Shining, set in the far north of Norway at an abandoned ski resort that was built 20 years prior but never opened. A group of eight youngsters descend on the abandoned resort from Sweden. Johan, the leader of the group, is there to assess the adequacy of the lodge for an investment and money making venture. Johan has brought with him; his brother Lippi, his girlfriend Hanne, Hanne's Dr sister Mette, his best friend Frank, Frank's new girlfriend Jessen, and two childhood friends Elin and potential resort chef OsVald. When they arrive they meet the older caretaker Erik, who doesn't exactly greet them with a welcome mat, and two brothers who have rented a workshop from the caretaker to work on their snowmobiles (Dag and Jostein).

I can't speak too much about the plot without giving anything away, but suffice it to say that when strange things, odd noises and the phrase gäädek jäämit start appearing I was questioning the presence of a spirit or if one of the physically present locals was trying to drive them out. There is an older murder/suicide which is why the lodge never opened and there is an even older WWII story as the resort was a medical clinic prior to being converted into a lodge.

The scenery is spectacular in this series. I enjoyed the music which often added to the very haunting atmospheric feel. The acting was well done and I enjoyed the creative storytelling. The location allowed for complete and utter isolation which only added to the tension and the dark atmosphere. It has a surprisingly high body count, but that absolutely fits with the story. Season one is a big recommendation from me. I think people who enjoy mysteries and/or a good haunting will really enjoy season one. On a side note, I learned just enough about the local Sammi people to send me to read about them on my own.

Season two...when I started watching season two I was a bit confused as people who were distinctly dead in season one were alive and well. Zero explanation is given for this, leading one to assume that it is a prequel and other than a couple of crossover characters season two has little in common with season one. It is set on an isolated Swedish island that has a history of housing the unwanted, like cholera patients. In contemporary times, it is housing this experimental therapy camp where small groups go to work through their individual issues. Johan is one of these individuals. Still in college he was busted for doing cocaine and so it is attend this two week program or go to prison, and he clearly hasn't told his father who is expecting him to handle an important business meeting for their company which is going to be impossible with no access to his phone, computer or a boat to get off the island.

Very different than season one and not quite as captivating. It did have a similarly interesting and scenic locale with a great lighthouse and yellow main house. I loved the main passenger boat to the island and I really enjoyed the antiques in the main house.

The hardships were often manufactured by the lead psychologist Uno's design and that created a lot less tension than the very real life or death situations in season one. Eventually there are life and death situations, but I felt like the earlier contrived ones desensitized the audience. Whatever the reason, season two does not have the same impact as season one...leaving me to say that you should absolutely watch season one and maybe give season two a skip. Both seasons stand alone and do not have to be watched in conjunction with the other.

My review is based on watching the series in it's native Swedish language with English subtitles.

Every single character seems determined to act as stupidly as possible at every opportunity. The fact that a character has acted suspiciously gets forgotten a scene later. This happens not once, not twice but every twenty minutes or so. And it keeps happening as the body count goes up.

I watched the last two episodes in a spirit of only another 90 minutes more to go.

Swedish drama 'Black Lake' combines the vibe of 'The Blair Witch Project' with a Mexican standoff, as a group of young people gradually lose it in an isolated winter resort, driven mad by strange (and possibly supernatural) events. Unfortunately, the story defies logic: any normal person would just run away once people start dying, instead the protagonists spend the entire drama venturing on their own into dark cellars where their friends have already been killed, with predictably awful results. By the end, I barely understood the plot, but each episode felt like a repeat of its predecessor. In conclusion: not one of the best Scandi-dramas.

When you like suspense and classical scandinavian cinema, this will appeal to you. Season 1 was ok, but season 2 is really high class cinema shooting. Also lots of humor, especially with the main character Johan.

Had the makings of a thriller but poor writing let it down. None of the characters had any redeeming characteristics and behaved irrationally throughout. This sort of film will work as a supernatural thriller, or as one that appears to be, but turns out to have rational explanations; but if you try to have both, as this film did, it doesn't work. Poor example of what Scandie drama can be.

I actually liked this Tv-show, exciting and cosy around the Swedish winter environment. Filip Berg is an outstanding actor, of course he made the whole show, great actor! 🇸🇪

The first season doesn't beak any new ground in the horror genre, but it's a fun enough riff off The Shining taking place in an abandoned ski resort and pulling from aspects of Swedish racism to build its story. Has good atmosphere and a lively performance from Aliette Opheim. The second season is awful, though - a prequel to the first, of sorts, but so slow moving that nothing really happens at all, leading to a finale so anticlimactic that you barely notice it - there's not even enough to it to qualify as dumb fun.

What do you say about a program where the two lead characters take their friends to an abandoned resort, get engaged and 15 seconds later are cheating on eachother especially the Hanne character. She says yes to her boyfriends proposal only to meet and fall in love in a half minute later with the local kid who she trusts more than all her friends put together. Sarah-Sofie Boussnina plays a very unlikeable character with a ridiculous obsession with the past and her new boyfriend. I normally enjoy foreign shows but this isn't good.

worth 7 + .

decent cinematography.

English subtitles easy to read.

have that northern European TV series style that I like.

maybe the actors are too good looking...

The daftest "thriller" it's been my misfortune to watch for a long time. Having said that, it was SO awful I had to keep watching 😆

Been watching a few episodes now. Started promising enough: beautiful landscapes, great shots, an isolated place up in the mountains (The Shining ), decent actors.

But good heavens, what a terrible storyline. The plot is bunkers. People inter-act in the most peculiar way Missed opportunity, couldd have been a lot better.

The worst serie I've een in ages. Childish screenplay, every minute a cliché copy etc etc. Waste of time

Säsong 1 helt klart sevärd, men säsong 2 kunde kvitta. Säsong 2 utspelar sig för säsong 1.