By George & Josh Bate
You show up to your picturesque Airbnb only to find that another couple is already staying there. All logic would suggest you leave, find another place to stay, and seek a refund…but where would be the fun in that?
With a world premiere at last year’s Fantastic Fest, Bone Lake follows Sage (The Recruit’s Maddie Hasson) and Diego (Gen V’s Marco Pigossi), a young couple who sent out a secluded lakeside estate for a weekend away. Their plans are upended, however, when an attractive, mysterious couple – Will (Forever My Girl’s Alex Roe) and Cin (How I Met Your Mother’s Andra Nechita) – also arrive claiming that they too have reserved the estate for the weekend. After some initial misgivings, Sage and Diego agree to share the mansion with Will and Cin, but soon find themselves in the middle of a game of deception, desire, manipulation, and secrets.
Much like the attractive couple that crash Sage and Diego’s weekend away, Bone Lake possesses an alluring quality. The estate they’re all staying in is gorgeous. The nearby lake (looking like it’s straight out of Friday the 13th) is similarly stunning. There’s a sexiness to the attractive Will and Cin that pulls you in. There’s mysterious locked doors in the house just begging to be broken into. And, most of all, a series of events unfold that both capture one’s attention and elicit palpable discomfort in equal measure.
Bone Lake can be best characterized as a psychosexual thriller meets “popcorn movie.” The film from director Mercedes Bryce Morgan (Fixation) and screenwriter Joshua Friedlander (Holly Slept Over) begins much like Zach Cregger’s Barbarian. In both films, a person (or persons) arrive at an Airbnb they have booked, only to discover that their rental has been double-booked. Despite their well-founded concerns, the person decides to share the rental, which leads to a number of events that encompass the remainder of the film. This beginning, however, is just about all that Bone Lake shares with Barbarian in that, as the latter treads deeper into horror territory, the former is far more interested in mind games, psychological cat-and-mouse tussles, and the vulnerabilities seemingly great couples harbor under the surface.
Based on a violent prelude (and if you’re heading into the movie with any prior knowledge of its genre or premise), Bone Lake immediately clues audiences in that something is eventually going to go wrong for our leads. But what exactly will go wrong remains a mystery. Unlike many similar horror movies, Morgan’s film does well to never alienate the audience by having us scratch our heads too much over our lead characters’ decision-making. Sage and Diego react to every unsettling event in a (mostly) realistic manner and these events unfold slowly and gradually, rather than being too weird too soon.
As the film reveals itself more and more, Bone Lake welcomes sexual tension and extreme discomfort into the fold. Slight boundary crossings eventually evolve into more blatant violations, which, just when you think are going to lead to our main characters’ departure from the house and an end to the story, are just about explained away, in turn allowing this twisted adventure to continue.
‘Twisted’ is a perfect descriptor more generally for the film as Sage and Diego are subject to all kinds of manipulation and deception that genuinely unnerve. For those like us accustomed to psychological thrillers and horror, getting under your skin can be a difficult endeavor, but this is something Bone Lake achieves numerous times rather effortlessly. As a result, Morgan’s film takes on an immersive quality in which the discomfort of the characters and tension of the situation bleeds beyond the screen and onto the viewer.
Amidst this discomfort is a fairly mundane exploration of modern relationships. Sage and Diego seemingly have a loving, healthy relationship, but problems simmer. The former fakes orgasms, while the latter has given up his job in order to pursue a career as a full-time author. There’s quiet tension between the two, which only grows as a result of the manipulation they’re subjected to. Hasson and Pigossi play this juxtaposition of happy on the surface and troubled deep-down well and they ensure that their performances remain grounded enough for the tension to never devolve into comedic territory. However, the film never goes beyond a superficial examination of relationships, infidelity, and modern gender roles.
The lack of anything groundbreaking to say about trust and partnership continues through Bone Lake’s more bombastic finale. Not all the reveals work entirely as attempts to over-explain characters’ motivations get a bit heavy-handed, although the film excels in its embraces its more crowd-pleasing sensibilities in its final act. The story takes a number of satisfying turns that feel well-earned and make Bone Lake the true definition of an adult popcorn movie.
VERDICT: 7/10
The definition of an adult popcorn movie, Bone Lake takes psychosexual thrillers into the modern age in twisted, alluring fashion. The film from director Mercedes Bryce Morgan and screenwriter Joshua Friedlander takes audiences on a sexy yet uncomfortable ride through a series of entrancing and palpably uncomfortable mind games. Although its commentary on modern relationships is far from groundbreaking, strong performances from Maddie Hasson and Marco Pigossi sell the juxtaposition of a happy couple masking their troubles under the surface well and make for compelling leads to get behind. The twists and turns of the psychological cat-and-mouse game prove engaging, but attempts to over-explain character motivations and reveals in the final act get a bit heavy-handed. Thankfully, Bone Lake largely eschews this issue with a bombastic, well-earned finale destined to satisfy audiences. If you’re looking for a fun date night movie or are a fan of psychological thrill rides, it’s worth taking a trip to Bone Lake.
Bone Lake is in theaters October 3, 2025
