Bone Lake Film Review: Hackneyed Airbnb Horror

Though Bone Lake delves into relatable relationship challenges, it’s a generic Airbnb horror story that we have seen many times before.

In Mercedes Bryce Morgan’s Bone Lake, Diego (Marco Pigossi) and Sage (Maddie Hasson) head to a beautiful lake-view property to reignite their romantic connection. However, the pair are taken by surprise when another couple, Will (Alex Roe) and Cin (Andra Nechita), arrive, claiming that the house must have been double booked, as they also reserved the property for the weekend. Though in classic horror style, when strangers show up out of the blue, we know not to trust them.

One thing Bone Lake does right is explore a relationship between a couple whose sex life has turned sour because of resentment and a lack of fulfillment. Diego has recently quit his job to focus on writing his novel, making Sage the primary earner, causing friction between the two. But even when the audience learns of this information, there’s still a sense that there’s more to this pair’s backstory.

This is a couple who are both unsatisfied in the bedroom for differing reasons but don’t quite know how to be open and communicate with one another. They have transitioned into a comfortable rut but are trying to reawaken their passion while also burying their heads in the sand. This is not only a common occurrence in many romantic relationships, but also deeply relatable. Hasson and Pigossi are pitch-perfect when portraying the awkwardness that comes with Diego and Sage often dismissing what’s glaring them in the face and continuing to push forward.

Unfortunately, Diego and Sage’s relationship is really the only interesting part of the film. Once Bone Lake fleshes out its horror elements and reveals the intentions of the mysterious couple showing up to the house out of the blue, the movie ventures into absurdity. Now, don’t get me wrong; not every horror feature has to make logical sense, and if they were meant to, then we’d be dismissing many great films from the genre. However, Bone Lake’s issue is that not only does the movie not bring anything new or interesting to the table, but it also falls short on execution.

Though I don’t want to get into any spoilers and give anything away, Cin and Will’s motives seem nonsensical, and the details surrounding their relationship and backstory feel like a shock factor grab without any real rhyme or reason. The pair also resembles many other couples I have encountered in similar stories, with no characteristics that make them particularly memorable or unique. Another drawback is that Bone Lake’s twist is pretty obvious early on, which makes the narrative lose all of its suspense about halfway through.

Once the third act arrives and shifts into slasher territory, the film does claw back some brownie points for its practical effects and gore, both of which are freakishly realistic. That said, these positives aren’t enough to elevate the movie to greatness because Bone Lake is a story I have seen a million times before, though there’s nothing distinguishable here to set it apart from the rest.

Simply put, Bone Lake feels like a generic Airbnb horror that’s a small fish in a large subgenre landscape full of much better films.

Bone Lake had its World Premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 21, 2024 at Alamo South Lamar, and will have an additional screening on September 24. Read our list of 15 movies to watch at Fantastic Fest 2024!