By October is officially here and with that, a roster of upcoming horror films slated for release just in time for the Halloween season is upon us. A few contenders entered the race early in September with Michael Chaves The Conjuring: Last Rites, Justin Tipping’s HIM, and Renny Harlin’s The Strangers: Chapter 2. All three of the aforementioned films didn’t do well with other critics, and their box office performances were sub-par at best. Studios usually hold on to the more exciting horror films that either seek to define or bend the horror genre for their October calendar.
Bone Lake, directed by Mercedes Bryce Morgan, is one of the first of these films to swim into theaters the first weekend in October. The movie follows two couples that realize they have booked the same vacation home during the same weekend (think Barbarian, but sexier.) Instead of one couple leaving, both couples decide to share the rather large vacation home, and the weekend together between the four of them turns into a budding friendship as well as a secluded vacation allowing the two couples to connect. But, not everything is as it seems as the foursome are put into uncomfortable situations and realizing that someone is playing a game. This game is forcing the players to confront the deep emotional impact of their decisions that involve some taboo topics, such as infidelity, sexual exploration, and how much one is willing to sacrifice for professional advancement.
The foursome is made up of Alex Roe who plays Will, Maddie Hasson who plays Sage, Marco Pigossi who plays Diego, and Andra Nechita as Cin. Because of the film’s use of seclusion and isolation, the cast is quite small. The flick, which heavily advertised itself as a film that emphasized its use of “sex and violence,” is exactly that. The audience watches as the characters descend into madness and distrust of one another, as well as themselves, and their internal dialogue almost becomes a character of its own. When looking at the bare bones of the flick, the sex and violence illusion quickly illuminates that the movie is equal parts slasher and survival thriller.
Doubling down on the sex and violence, the second half of the film gives way to a reveal that any seasoned horror vet will see coming, but still introduced some twists and turns that entertain the concept of shock value. I really enjoyed some of the shots, and the camera focus, or lack thereof, was an interesting mechanic the film utilized to push its narrative forward. While I won’t say that Bone Lake is sitting aside as one of the great horror masterpieces of 2025, it was a definitely a fun and fresh entry into the horror genre, and an interesting segway into the Halloween season. If I had to summarize the aftertaste of the film in a comparative manner, I would say it left me unsettled in a way that was reminiscent of both Cruel Intentions and Funny Games – leaving me feeling disturbed, intrigued, and just a little bit frustrated.
Bone Lake earns a C+.