What an enjoyable movie this is! It's one of those plots that keep you thinking right the way through the film. This is fortunate, as it tends to distract you from the low budget and sometimes questionable acting. Although it's basically a variation on the old BODY SNATCHERS story, THE LAKE has some interesting angles which make it quite unique.
Yasmine Bleeth, who wraps up warm throughout the movie (well that red bathing suit can't keep much of the cold out!), is passable as the Los Angeles girl who returns home to find her friends and family taking on bizarrely different personalities. She looks good, but cannot quite grasp that lead-actress air that would have been nice. Her biggest assets (those that were exploited every Saturday afternoon in my teens) are defiantly not an issue here (to the credit of Ms Bleeth and the director). So it's good to see her in a role which relies on other talents. The supporting artists in the film, however, are rather unmemorable and serve as 'character wallpaper' in this highly decorated story. Of interest, though, is a slightly younger (and trendier) Haley Joel Osment who has just shot to fame as Cole in THE SIXTH SENSE.
In conclusion, this is an enjoyable movie with flaws that are somewhat masked by a damn good story. A bigger budget would have really made a difference (a cinema release may have been able to give us a glimpse of "the other side" in its exciting climax). But as a TV-movie this definitely works. So jump right in, and stay close to the shore!
