We're mining again, gang, sifting through the rubble of indie horror to find that film that rises above budget and circumstance to win the hearts of the horror faithful. On tonight's hit list is the Zach Passero-directed Wicked Lake. There is some pedigree to this film, with guest appearances by May's Angela Bettis and the man, the legend, Tim Thomerson (Trancers). Man do I miss seeing Tim Thomerson in genre films. But, I digress.

The first shot in the film hints at things to come, displaying one of the film's four heroines in the buff, posing for an art class. There are lingering shots on her nude form, as art students alternately paint and look bored. One flustered student, Caleb, flees the class after a relatively funny dream sequence, but finally works up the nerve to speak to the model after class, displaying his portrait of her. This is the second and last funny moment in the film.

The model is one of four roommates who are bound for a trip to a lakeside cabin. On the way, they encounter local yokels who harass the girls, who have been making out in the car during the whole trip. They're just that kind of girl. Then, they're at the cabin, and the weirdo art student from the beginning, Caleb, along with his family, who are apparently all suffering from various degrees of mental illness, show up to torture and, assumedly, rape the girls. The model from the film's opening is killed by a rock.

Okay, I'm getting bored just summarizing this movie. We're wrapping it up quick. The girls are witches. Midnight strikes and they start growling. Or something. They eat all the dudes and then some cops (including Tim Thomerson!) show up, and they get eaten. Then, all the girls bathe naked in the lake. All the girls, you ask? Yep. The dead one is burned at one point and brought back from the dead somehow. Credits roll, thank Christ.

I'm not naming actors, in case they pursue other films later. And, quite frankly, there's not a one who left the impression they were capable of pursuing a professional career. Maybe a lot of that has to do with the script, which attempts to be a bit subversive with its use of female antagonists, but the number of shots of girls swapping bloody spit as they take chunks out of their victims seems just as exploitative as any Jess Franco film. Or maybe it's the poor film quality, or the lazy editing which left me wanting someone, anyone, to do anything for much of this one..

The one positive is the effects team, which did deliver some nice moments, but the sound and lighting (oh my god, the lighting) are so bad, some of these were difficult to see. This is just a sleazy, self-conscious, presumptuous film that had me counting down the remaining moments of the film. If all you expect from a film is to be presented in a format that will play in most DVD players, this is the movie for you. If you have more discerning tastes than most convalescents, skip this one. Now, back to the mines...