This movie for the most part is just like your normal TV movie. Not incredible acting and for being in the horror genre it would have flopped at the box office, but hey, that's why it's on TV. When I first started watching this movie I never had the intention of finishing it. I left the room a couple times to go do something else but found myself always coming back, wondering, who was it? What was going on? The only complaint I have is that there weren't enough characters to suspect. The creepy factor was great though. I was creeped out the whole time and I was a little fascinated too. I wouldn't fight to see it again but I don't regret sitting there for the amount of time it took to watch it.
21 Reviews
Think of this movie as a comedy.
atlant1 August 2004
Don't think of this movie as a horror movie; as such it would be a disastrous "1". It's almost entirely predictable and you've certainly seen everything in it before in movies that are far, far better. Instead, think of this movie as a comedy/parody. If you do so, then it's at least a "5" (out of 10).
It begins ordinarily enough, but as the movie goes on, watch as Barry Corbin goes farther and farther over the top. By the end, it has truly become hilarious.
Some weekend afternoon, when it runs on The Mystery Channel or some other cable/ satellite channel, cue it up and practice your Mystery Science Theater 3000 routine but in the horror genre: You won't be disappointed -- this movie is the Mother of all horror movie Bombs.
Atlant
It begins ordinarily enough, but as the movie goes on, watch as Barry Corbin goes farther and farther over the top. By the end, it has truly become hilarious.
Some weekend afternoon, when it runs on The Mystery Channel or some other cable/ satellite channel, cue it up and practice your Mystery Science Theater 3000 routine but in the horror genre: You won't be disappointed -- this movie is the Mother of all horror movie Bombs.
Atlant
Comedy?
jennywahere4 December 2018
"Don't Do Anything Stupid!"...
azathothpwiggins13 August 2018
Chuck Yoman (Gerald McRaney) and his wife, Rachel (Valerie Harper) lead very busy lives, and live in a very secure home with their kids. Rachel has had enough of the fast pace and stress, and convinces Chuck to move to a rural house on a lake.
At first, all goes well, other than a few backward locals. Then, Chuck decides to take a swim in the lake, and makes a gruesome discovery. Suddenly, he has a very cold swimming partner! He goes to get the Sheriff, but when they return, the evidence has vanished. When the deputy tells a story of several past disappearances, the Yoman's wonder just what sort of place they've moved into. Strange occurrences and more deaths add to the mystery. Can Rachel and Chuck figure it all out... and live?
THE PEOPLE ACROSS THE LAKE is a different kind of suspense thriller. It's got a TWIN PEAKS weirdness mixed in with the chills. It's a black comedy about family dysfunction, wrapped in a psychological horror story. A nice change of pace for the fear fanatic!
Co-stars Barry Corbin in a unique role for him...
At first, all goes well, other than a few backward locals. Then, Chuck decides to take a swim in the lake, and makes a gruesome discovery. Suddenly, he has a very cold swimming partner! He goes to get the Sheriff, but when they return, the evidence has vanished. When the deputy tells a story of several past disappearances, the Yoman's wonder just what sort of place they've moved into. Strange occurrences and more deaths add to the mystery. Can Rachel and Chuck figure it all out... and live?
THE PEOPLE ACROSS THE LAKE is a different kind of suspense thriller. It's got a TWIN PEAKS weirdness mixed in with the chills. It's a black comedy about family dysfunction, wrapped in a psychological horror story. A nice change of pace for the fear fanatic!
Co-stars Barry Corbin in a unique role for him...
Welcome to Lake Lame
Vomitron_G15 January 2010
The best scene of "The People Across The Lake" is the genuinely creepy, nightly opening-scene featuring a house, a murder & a lake. After that, it's pretty much downhill from there on as far as the horror is concerned. A family (mom, dad, sister & younger brother) is fed up with the (mildly) dangerous environment of suburbia, and decides to go and live near the titular lake. From then on, the film features too much lame happy family-related doo-doo near the lake, with occasionally some corpses popping up here and there. The couple of scenes where they discover the bodies, are pretty convincing (in terms of creepiness), but they are in shrill contrast with the rest of the goings-on (featuring just every-day-life stuff of the family settling in). The truth to the matters (the mystery as to who's doing the killing) is learned too soon, leaving only the family unknowing and the viewer yawning during the unexciting finale (featuring a discovery in a basement and running around the house), like if this made-for-TV thing suddenly remembered it was supposed to be a horror film. It's not really badly made; the content & story is just not interesting enough. The only highlight in the cast is Barry Corbin, though his performance/character is just a bit too goofy to be taken serious. Blond cutie Tammy Lauren (the daughter) might be a recognisable face for avid horror junkies too, as she also starred in "Wishmaster" (1997), and made-for-TV outings like "I Saw What You Did" (1988) & "The Stepford Children" (1987). She hasn't got much to do in this film, though. Skippable, but watchable, if anything.
If you view it as a comedy it actually works...
MarieGabrielle1 December 2005
The premise of the story is common enough; average family wants out of the rat race; wants to find the simple life....so they move from Sherman Oaks,California to Lake Tomahawk; kids in tow.
The lake is beautiful, they have leased an old house....but wait; there may be something in the lake; people are being murdered, and no one knows how (never mind why). Gerald McRaney is excellent, a familiar face for Lifetime viewers; Valerie Harper is also good; since this film was made in '88 maybe the writer should produce a sequel!.
You will also enjoy Barry Corbin as the town eccentric, and Darryl Anderson as a Bruce Dern-lookalike/crazed military man.
While the story plot is a bit over the top; if you are a movie buff you will be reminded of similar scenarios from ""Psycho""; ""Deliverance""; as well as other horror stories of that genre. Several camera shots and sequences will give you a sense of deja vu.
Sit back and enjoy; if you don't take it too seriously it is very entertaining; and better than, for example the more recent movie:
""I Know What You Did Last Summer""; it seems they made better movies in the good old 80's!.
The lake is beautiful, they have leased an old house....but wait; there may be something in the lake; people are being murdered, and no one knows how (never mind why). Gerald McRaney is excellent, a familiar face for Lifetime viewers; Valerie Harper is also good; since this film was made in '88 maybe the writer should produce a sequel!.
You will also enjoy Barry Corbin as the town eccentric, and Darryl Anderson as a Bruce Dern-lookalike/crazed military man.
While the story plot is a bit over the top; if you are a movie buff you will be reminded of similar scenarios from ""Psycho""; ""Deliverance""; as well as other horror stories of that genre. Several camera shots and sequences will give you a sense of deja vu.
Sit back and enjoy; if you don't take it too seriously it is very entertaining; and better than, for example the more recent movie:
""I Know What You Did Last Summer""; it seems they made better movies in the good old 80's!.
Pretty darn bad (and not in a good way)
aztrshbyz19 September 2017
I watched this movie for the first time recently and was quite surprised at how awful it truly is. Have I seen worse? Sure but I won't waste my time watching this film ever again.
THE PEOPLE ACROSS THE LAKE concerns a family who decides to give up city life due to the crime and move to the country in the midwest. Unfortunately, dead bodies keep popping up there too.
The film suffers from bad dialog and bad acting pretty much all the way through. There are a few exceptions in minor roles as far as the acting, but the leads, including Valarie Harper, were not convincing at all. Add to that silly facial expressions and you've got a real eye roller on your hands.
One of the things that surprised me was that although it was implied that the family was moving to the midwest, there were really bad southern accents all around. I guess the director felt that anybody who lives in the country has to sound like someone out of DELIVERANCE.
There are some nice shots of the landscape and lake areas, so the scenery is good in places. That is really about all this movie has going for it though.
I've seen some reviewers recommend that people watch this as a comedy. For me, it didn't even work on that level. It was just that bad.
The film also is a little slow paced, but picks up a bit at the end as the family starts to realize who the killer is. And the killer knows that they know, so the stalking begins. Up till that time though much of the movie is interaction with the locals and family time. And of course, you'll see the mandatory misdirection. There is some suspense towards the end, but not enough to hold anyone's attention.
I would absolutely give this one a pass for a fan of horror or suspense.
THE PEOPLE ACROSS THE LAKE concerns a family who decides to give up city life due to the crime and move to the country in the midwest. Unfortunately, dead bodies keep popping up there too.
The film suffers from bad dialog and bad acting pretty much all the way through. There are a few exceptions in minor roles as far as the acting, but the leads, including Valarie Harper, were not convincing at all. Add to that silly facial expressions and you've got a real eye roller on your hands.
One of the things that surprised me was that although it was implied that the family was moving to the midwest, there were really bad southern accents all around. I guess the director felt that anybody who lives in the country has to sound like someone out of DELIVERANCE.
There are some nice shots of the landscape and lake areas, so the scenery is good in places. That is really about all this movie has going for it though.
I've seen some reviewers recommend that people watch this as a comedy. For me, it didn't even work on that level. It was just that bad.
The film also is a little slow paced, but picks up a bit at the end as the family starts to realize who the killer is. And the killer knows that they know, so the stalking begins. Up till that time though much of the movie is interaction with the locals and family time. And of course, you'll see the mandatory misdirection. There is some suspense towards the end, but not enough to hold anyone's attention.
I would absolutely give this one a pass for a fan of horror or suspense.
I almost died laughing
bernie-5019 November 2005
Rachel and Chuck Yoman (Valerie Harper, Gerald McRaney), decided the city is too busy and dangerous for their family, so they packed up their reluctant son (Gregory Togel) and daughter (Tammy Lauren) and moved back to a lake like the one Rachel lived at as a child.
They say you can not go home again but this is an ideal rural home with what at first seems like a Mayberry feel. Later the residence seems to be more like the people in Deliverance. Soon bodies start turning up and everybody looks suspect with the exception of a few friendly faces. This does not keep the family from enjoying running around and messing around in the woods.
We find that they have to be super ignorant to find the secrets and not tell anyone until they get ax-cepted as the antagonists.
Can the ignored young Stevie save his parents or will their pursuer(s) put his/her foot in it?
This film is more than most parodies as it was played with strait faces. They could not have chosen better actors and Daryl Anderson was exceptionally creepy. An added plus is that they let us know what is happening before the characters find out, instead of pulling a clue out of the hat after the fact. Anyway this made for TV movie is good for a few laughs.
They say you can not go home again but this is an ideal rural home with what at first seems like a Mayberry feel. Later the residence seems to be more like the people in Deliverance. Soon bodies start turning up and everybody looks suspect with the exception of a few friendly faces. This does not keep the family from enjoying running around and messing around in the woods.
We find that they have to be super ignorant to find the secrets and not tell anyone until they get ax-cepted as the antagonists.
Can the ignored young Stevie save his parents or will their pursuer(s) put his/her foot in it?
This film is more than most parodies as it was played with strait faces. They could not have chosen better actors and Daryl Anderson was exceptionally creepy. An added plus is that they let us know what is happening before the characters find out, instead of pulling a clue out of the hat after the fact. Anyway this made for TV movie is good for a few laughs.
Major Dad in a wet suit!
BandSAboutMovies28 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
To get away from the city and all its crime - dudes are peeping in on Rhoda while she's trying to pee! - Chuck Yoman (Gerald McRaney), his wife Rachel (Valerie Harper) and their family move to redneck country where he's going to make windsurfing boards. Yes, this is the plot. Yes, I watched it.
Everything seems great, you know, until Chuck goes swimming and ends up with a clammy dead body hugging him.
Tammy Lauren from Wishmaster is on hand, as is Dorothy Lyman (Naomi from Mama's Family). But really, Major Dad in a wetsuit. That's why you want to watch this movie, which honestly moves at a snail's pace. And Valerie Harper looks decades older than him, so I made jokes the entire movie to alleviate the ennui.
Everything seems great, you know, until Chuck goes swimming and ends up with a clammy dead body hugging him.
Tammy Lauren from Wishmaster is on hand, as is Dorothy Lyman (Naomi from Mama's Family). But really, Major Dad in a wetsuit. That's why you want to watch this movie, which honestly moves at a snail's pace. And Valerie Harper looks decades older than him, so I made jokes the entire movie to alleviate the ennui.
not as bad as the reviews
cac_7011 February 2023
A family moves into a new lakeside home and discovers a terrible secret about the community -- that there are a series of unsolved murders in the area. It's a movie you can watch on television or streaming. A family moves into a new lakeside home and discovers a terrible secret about the community -- that there are a series of unsolved murders in the area and they aren't sure what is going on. Anyway, not much more to add but the acting is very good and the script isn't as bad as a lot of the reviews here say. It's a mistake to watch this as a comedy unless you're really young or just like sci Fi movies.
Not scary - don't let the genre label fool you.
OllieSuave-00730 October 2022
The TV movie is labeled as a horror and thriller as the genre, but don't let that fool you. This movie is anything but.
The premise sounds creepy enough - a family moving to a big old house in a peaceful lakeside town to escape the city life finds corpses in the lake and another body in the woods. But what results is some pretty boring tongue-in-cheek acting that tries hard to be a murder mystery thriller, but even with the supposedly scary scenes, which I admit there is qute a few, much of the horror elements are overtaken by the goofiness and eccentric acting.
It's not all horrible to watch this movie on a dreary day, but only if you have absolutely nothing else to do and nothing else to watch.
Grade D.
The premise sounds creepy enough - a family moving to a big old house in a peaceful lakeside town to escape the city life finds corpses in the lake and another body in the woods. But what results is some pretty boring tongue-in-cheek acting that tries hard to be a murder mystery thriller, but even with the supposedly scary scenes, which I admit there is qute a few, much of the horror elements are overtaken by the goofiness and eccentric acting.
It's not all horrible to watch this movie on a dreary day, but only if you have absolutely nothing else to do and nothing else to watch.
Grade D.
Good old fashioned hokum!!!
yankee192423 October 2001
This Is one of those classic American made for TV movies that are just made for watching on a rainy afternoon. Although the script is highly implausible it never takes itself too seriously and neither do the cast which leads to a great tongue in cheek murder mystery / horror film best enjoyed with a bid bag of popcorn or box of chocolates. A big bonus of this film is the fantastic location filming and despite the strange goings on and even stranger residents round Lake Tommahawk I for one would not mind living there!
All in all a great film to watch over and over again.
All in all a great film to watch over and over again.
Strangely watchable
bowmanblue23 April 2024
I know the words 'made for TV' are hardly a ringing endorsement for a film - it normally denotes a low budget, no real actors you've heard of and shoved on late at night when no one is ever going to see it anyway. All that may actually be true of 'The People Across the Lake,' but, despite all its shortcomings, it's actually quite watchable.
It's about a 'typical' (i.e. Mum, dad, teenage daughter and younger son) moving from the city to a small, rural town to start up their own business. However, when they get there it turns out to be possibly one of the most least friendly places to go in America - and that's before random corpses start showing up seemingly under every stone that's overturned.
Again, nothing amazingly revolutionary with the plot, but what made it watchable for me was generally the dynamic between the husband and wife. The kids don't really get an awful lot of screen time, so it's the adults who are the main characters. I just found something about them very believable as a couple and, for whatever flaws reared their heads, I still found myself wanting to root for the central characters through to the end.
It's hardly a 'thrill-ride.' In fact you could probably call it a bit of a 'slow burn,' as very little of real note happens during the first half of the movie and it's all just generally setting the scene. Once all the 'red herrings' have been discounted as to what's going on, when the 'threat' is finally revealed there is a slight element of 'scenery chewing' here and there which does make you want to roll your eyes just a little in terms of various people's acting ability, but it is a 'made for TV' movie, so what do you expect?
It's hardly a classic that will stick with you for very long, but if there's nothing else then this one will certainly fill an hour and a half of your time.
It's about a 'typical' (i.e. Mum, dad, teenage daughter and younger son) moving from the city to a small, rural town to start up their own business. However, when they get there it turns out to be possibly one of the most least friendly places to go in America - and that's before random corpses start showing up seemingly under every stone that's overturned.
Again, nothing amazingly revolutionary with the plot, but what made it watchable for me was generally the dynamic between the husband and wife. The kids don't really get an awful lot of screen time, so it's the adults who are the main characters. I just found something about them very believable as a couple and, for whatever flaws reared their heads, I still found myself wanting to root for the central characters through to the end.
It's hardly a 'thrill-ride.' In fact you could probably call it a bit of a 'slow burn,' as very little of real note happens during the first half of the movie and it's all just generally setting the scene. Once all the 'red herrings' have been discounted as to what's going on, when the 'threat' is finally revealed there is a slight element of 'scenery chewing' here and there which does make you want to roll your eyes just a little in terms of various people's acting ability, but it is a 'made for TV' movie, so what do you expect?
It's hardly a classic that will stick with you for very long, but if there's nothing else then this one will certainly fill an hour and a half of your time.
Not At All What I Was Hoping It Would Be
Rainey-Dawn4 December 2016
Basically the wife wants to move back to the country, the husband is a city slicker and the family has been living in the city. The husband finally agreed to trying to live in the country for one year - if they like it they will stay, if they dislike it they will move back to the city. All that is fine to me. It's after they get to the country it becomes a family adventure for awhile with just a little bit of dead body parts showing up and a lot of talk of murders that have happened but no one knows who did them. The family finds out who - but will they survive? Great casting - about 90% of it is a rather lame film. Just watch the last 25 to 30 minutes of it - that's really the only okay part the rest is a a bunch of hooky. It's a shame too because this had potential to be a good and fun movie all the way though it.
2/10
2/10
Hokey
tpiecemanc2 August 2004
This was very very hokey. There were things that happened in this film that happened then it went to commercial break and when they returned they were forgotten. I didn't watch the whole thing because I fell asleep and I am glad I did. An easy one to guess through if you can stay that long. I didn't find a minute of my awake state during this movie to be exciting enough to keep my attention. I usually try and stay awake through movies just so I don't miss anything, even if I wasn't happy with what I was watching, but with this one I hoped for sleep. Granted I could have gotten up but the couch was so comfortable and I wasn't in control of the remote. Miss this one.
Solid block of cheddar..But...GM in a wetsuit!
kimbpaul5 November 2023
I knew going in it was going to be hokey. All the clichés were present in the synopsis. So, my biggest confusion centers around where in the hell is Tomahawk Lake supposed to be? I was raised in WI, so I'm familiar with how a normal Midwest accent sounds. Aside from the main family, pretty much everyone else sounds like Beverly Hillbillies meets Deliverance. Barry Corbin raised the bar on "over the top", good for chuckles. The music score is typical 80's TV cheesey synthesizer keyboard, a few strings added to tell us something spooky is about to happen. No spoilers here, you'll figure it out. But, yeah, Gerald McRaney in a wetsuit. Yum.
Want to feel safe? Stay in the big city...
Coventry6 February 2023
Middle-aged couple Rachel and Chuck Yoman are fed up with their busy and stressful professional lives and, moreover, begin to find their home in the suburban neighborhood too dangerous. The latter is hilariously illustrated when a neighbor, who lost the keys of his house, shows up at the kitchen window and scares the hell out of Rachel. So, much against the will of their teenage daughter Lisa, the family leaves the city and moves to a quiet and remote lakeshore village named Tomahawk.
Ha! Silly people, you obviously haven't seen many horror movies! Every horror fan knows that quiet and remote little villages and their inhabitants are far more dangerous than big cities. It goes well for a little while, as Chuck starts an unprofitable business of manufacturing surfboards, and the family befriends the town's patriarch Malcolm Bryce. But then Chuck gets embraced by a floating corpse when he goes swimming in the lake, and nobody believes him when the corpse inexplicably disappears.
Made-for-television horror movies were brilliant in the 70s and early 80s, but as per the mid-80s and during the 90s they somehow evolved into soap opera/family dramas with - if we're lucky - a couple of macabre elements. "The People Across the Lake" tries hard, and occasionally succeeds, to generate a bit of tension and atmosphere, but it largely remains a pedestrian effort. It's fairly clear where the plot twists are leading to, regarding both identity of the killer and his/her crazed motivations. And, oh yes, even after nearly 30 years, the influence of granddaddy "Psycho" remains enormous.
Ha! Silly people, you obviously haven't seen many horror movies! Every horror fan knows that quiet and remote little villages and their inhabitants are far more dangerous than big cities. It goes well for a little while, as Chuck starts an unprofitable business of manufacturing surfboards, and the family befriends the town's patriarch Malcolm Bryce. But then Chuck gets embraced by a floating corpse when he goes swimming in the lake, and nobody believes him when the corpse inexplicably disappears.
Made-for-television horror movies were brilliant in the 70s and early 80s, but as per the mid-80s and during the 90s they somehow evolved into soap opera/family dramas with - if we're lucky - a couple of macabre elements. "The People Across the Lake" tries hard, and occasionally succeeds, to generate a bit of tension and atmosphere, but it largely remains a pedestrian effort. It's fairly clear where the plot twists are leading to, regarding both identity of the killer and his/her crazed motivations. And, oh yes, even after nearly 30 years, the influence of granddaddy "Psycho" remains enormous.
Dumb, dumb, and dumb
ylopez-237945 September 2023
Oh wow I hate leaving a negative review. But I thought this movie was so dumb!!!!!!!!!!!
Well a normal family living in a beautiful house in the city. Decide to Move to the country because of a small incident. Suffice to say they end up living in an ugly house. I just don't get it the plot is somewhat dumb and the motivations for the character to move there doesn't really make any sense.
I am a fan of Valerie Harper and yes Gerald McRaney. (I loved him in Major Dad). But their movie is awful. I felt like cringing ..... I barely made it to the ending Ughhhhh. Well if you want to waste two hours out of your time be my guest but this movie sucks. And I don't blame the actors as they are following the script but it's weak. Like other commentators have said if this is a comedy I might have scored it higher. But for horror? I was generous I have 2 stars one for Valerie and one for Gerald.
Well a normal family living in a beautiful house in the city. Decide to Move to the country because of a small incident. Suffice to say they end up living in an ugly house. I just don't get it the plot is somewhat dumb and the motivations for the character to move there doesn't really make any sense.
I am a fan of Valerie Harper and yes Gerald McRaney. (I loved him in Major Dad). But their movie is awful. I felt like cringing ..... I barely made it to the ending Ughhhhh. Well if you want to waste two hours out of your time be my guest but this movie sucks. And I don't blame the actors as they are following the script but it's weak. Like other commentators have said if this is a comedy I might have scored it higher. But for horror? I was generous I have 2 stars one for Valerie and one for Gerald.
Can you imagine a place where no one locks their doors? Especially with bodies in the lake and in the bushes?
mark.waltz26 August 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I can't, even though our family once had doors without locks in a country house like the one that Valarie Harper and Gerald McCraney live in here. Of course they end up installing locks when the bodies turn up, and somehow someone is able to get in. They are tired of suburban life as even a middle class neighborhood has its crime. A swim in the lake outside their new place has McCraney finding the first body, and the second one pops up when he's laying in the grass with Harper which sends both of them into detective mode.
Quite a thrilling little TV thriller, and never without surprises. Even the clichéd annoying teen daughter just shows herself to have been in a bad mood when first seen, but fortunately she is given a multi-faceted characterization. The killer is exposed to the audience early on, so their motive gets to be explored realistically, and that's where the elements of terror are revealed as they go out of their way to keep the secret from being revealed. Definitely one of the better TV movies of its time, and another great performance by the magnetic Harper.
Quite a thrilling little TV thriller, and never without surprises. Even the clichéd annoying teen daughter just shows herself to have been in a bad mood when first seen, but fortunately she is given a multi-faceted characterization. The killer is exposed to the audience early on, so their motive gets to be explored realistically, and that's where the elements of terror are revealed as they go out of their way to keep the secret from being revealed. Definitely one of the better TV movies of its time, and another great performance by the magnetic Harper.
I almost died laughing
Bernie444427 March 2024
Rachel and Chuck Yoman (Valerie Harper, Gerald McRaney), decided the city is too busy and dangerous for their family, so they packed up their reluctant son (Gregory Togel) and daughter (Tammy Lauren) and moved back to a lake like the one Rachel lived at as a child.
They say you can not go home again but this is an ideal rural home with what at first seems like a Mayberry feel. Later the residence seems to be more like the people in Deliverance. Soon bodies start turning up and everybody looks suspect except for a few friendly faces. This does not keep the family from enjoying running around and messing around in the woods.
We find that they have to be super ignorant to find the secrets and not tell anyone until they get ax-cepted as the antagonists.
Can the ignored young Stevie save his parents or will their pursuer(s) put his/her foot in it?
This film is more than most parodies as it was played with straight faces. They could not have chosen better actors and Daryl Anderson was exceptionally creepy. An added plus is that they let us know what is happening before the characters find out, instead of pulling a clue out of the hat after the fact. Anyway, this made-for-TV movie is good for a few laughs.
They say you can not go home again but this is an ideal rural home with what at first seems like a Mayberry feel. Later the residence seems to be more like the people in Deliverance. Soon bodies start turning up and everybody looks suspect except for a few friendly faces. This does not keep the family from enjoying running around and messing around in the woods.
We find that they have to be super ignorant to find the secrets and not tell anyone until they get ax-cepted as the antagonists.
Can the ignored young Stevie save his parents or will their pursuer(s) put his/her foot in it?
This film is more than most parodies as it was played with straight faces. They could not have chosen better actors and Daryl Anderson was exceptionally creepy. An added plus is that they let us know what is happening before the characters find out, instead of pulling a clue out of the hat after the fact. Anyway, this made-for-TV movie is good for a few laughs.
Better than I expected, for a tv flick
ksdilauri21 May 2024
Well, this is an unusual little number. Other reviews range from 'okay' to 'not particularly glowing' to 'blah', but the plot sounded intriguing enough to me, and it's got a good cast.
Yes, it contains many of the standard made-for-tv melodrama features: sitcom stars Harper and McRaney--flipped from their usual light-hearted TV personas and quite convincing as a couple tired of the stress of city life; their winsome little kid and wiseacre teenager; and apparently enough money to go from their nice place in the city to a little slice of lakeside heaven.
As it progressed, I found that it went from average tv-movie quality to a pretty nifty (if unlikely) ending; the suspense in the last few scenes is especially good. The two leads are well matched and you root for them. Some viewers may guess who the heavy is but it's atmospheric--the lakeside locales are lovely -it moves along briskly, and is well acted. Worth a watch.
Yes, it contains many of the standard made-for-tv melodrama features: sitcom stars Harper and McRaney--flipped from their usual light-hearted TV personas and quite convincing as a couple tired of the stress of city life; their winsome little kid and wiseacre teenager; and apparently enough money to go from their nice place in the city to a little slice of lakeside heaven.
As it progressed, I found that it went from average tv-movie quality to a pretty nifty (if unlikely) ending; the suspense in the last few scenes is especially good. The two leads are well matched and you root for them. Some viewers may guess who the heavy is but it's atmospheric--the lakeside locales are lovely -it moves along briskly, and is well acted. Worth a watch.
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