I've been covering UK filmmaking collective Bloody Cuts since the second film in their thirteen-part short film anthology (STITCHES) and watching them grow and build upon their success has been a real pleasure. These guys really don't believe in plateaus, they keep pushing. They aren't simply piling on either. There is a genuine progression to more challenging stories and experimentation with different styles within the genre.

In the sixth film in their series, DEAD MAN'S LAKE, the crew try their hand at the gritty 80s "pretty young people camping" trope. The whole vibe of the film made me instantly nostalgic for the video stores of my wayward youth as it’s exactly the kind of thing you might have found browsing the lurid Horror section of a sleazy, neighborhood shop.

You know the story. Three young people head out to a secluded lake spot for a bit of camping fun away from the prying eyes of society. Naturally, there is a couple and a fifth whee,l and naturally the fifth wheel gets into some trouble as the couple tries to get down to business. The film ends up a morality play, but not the one you'd expect. What you get is more akin to an OUTER LIMITS segment. It's smarter than the source material it feeds on for its aesthetics by a mile.

My verdict is simple: This film is less than ten minutes. If you don't have that kind of time to spend on a superbly shot and cleverly written video nasty that really rises above its origins to be something daring and familiar all at once, well then congratulations on being the President, or something. For those of you with ten minutes to spare, this is an excellent way to spend it. DEAD MAN'S LAKE is now my favorite of the Bloody Cuts series, to date. The creators have yet to stick themselves in any kind of mold and solidify, and so while I savor DEAD MAN'S LAKE today, I know it won't be long before this group outdoes this latest effort. That's why Bloody Cuts are important and deserve your attention.

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