Devil's Pond

1.5/4

Starring: Tara Reid, Kip Pardue

Rated R for Language and Some Violence

As you all know, I'm a huge fan of the "stranger within" genre.  Even though they're all the same in a general sense, it doesn't take a lot for them to work.  Compelling characters, escalating tension and heavy on the atmosphere.  If you have those three things, the movie will be good at the very least.

Unfortunately, that's not what happens with "Devil's Pond."  The acting is good enough for the film's purposes, but it lacks any atmosphere or pacing.  Those two are the most important for a film like this to work, but first time director Joel Viertel can't accomplish either.  Although not as bad as "The Resident," it's still a waste of time.

Julianne (Reid) is on cloud nine.  She's getting married to the handsome Mitch (Pardue).  For they're honeymoon, they're staying at an out of the way cabin in the middle of a lake for two weeks.  This unnerves Julianne since she can't swim, but she agrees to go.  Initially, things seem great; Julianne and Mitch are blissfully in love.  But as the two weeks are nearing the end, Julianne is ready to go back to civilization.  Mitch, on the other hand, want to stay...forever.

The acting by Reid and Pardue is effective but not standout.  At least until Viertel forces them to go over the top.  They are let down by the screenplay and Viertel's plastic direction.  The film looks bland when it should be claustrophobic and creepy.

Apart from Viertel's ineffective direction, the screenplay is also lacking.  It spins its wheels when it should be accelerating towards the conclusion.  The tension, or lack thereof, never increases, and the climax couldn't be more mundane.

Ultimately, there's not much I can write about this movie.  It's lacking in all the key areas, and that means that instead of getting viewers to the edge of their seats, it's putting them to sleep.

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