Clear Lake, WI

There are movies that you expect to be bad even before you turn them on. That, of course, raises the question of why you're bothering with such a movie, but that's for another time and another place! "Clear Lake, WI" is a movie that you expect will be bad - and it lives up (or down) to those expectations.

A film student decides to make a documentary on the side about something that happened in Clear Lake, Wisconsin 15 years before. Apparently there had been some sort of plague, several children had died and the town had been evacuated and no one had ever returned. As the deaths were happening, some local preacher gathered a bunch of high school kids around him (because high school kids are always attracted to local preachers) - and I guess they killed people, although that part of the story really wasn't explained well, except that the kids were under the preacher's control and they all got off, and the film-maker has re- united them all in Clear Lake to make her documentary. But something funny is going on, and of course the kids (except now they're adults, because it's 15 years later, start to be killed.) Yeah. To be honest, this was pretty boring. Very slow in developing and with nothing especially interesting until the very end, and even that didn't really stay with me.

The only actor of note in this is Michael Madsen as the preacher. Frankly, he's a busy enough actor. Why he bothered with this I'm not really sure. I regret just having watched it. I can't imagine what it would be like to have it on your acting resume! (2/10)

I actually don't remember too much about this film. We watched it 2 days ago, and I have already, thankfully, forgotten most of it. It was just a generic, slasher type film with nothing to offer. Unbelievable story, unbelievable acting, and unbelievably bad. I feel sorry for the good people of the real town of Clear Lake, WI that have to have this film forever associated with their fine town. Thankfully, not too many people ever even heard about this film. I also feel sorry for the actors who had to endure the freezing weather on location, for what I'm sure will be very little return for their efforts, especially Michael Madsen, whom I love as an actor. Why he lent his name to this horrible excuse of a movie is beyond me. What was he thinking? Thankfully, he was only in it for a brief period of time and I'm guessing that he didn't have to leave the comfort confines of California for any of the shooting.

I'm not an American resident and have only visited twenty or so states, but I've heard and read numerous times already – whether in jokes or more serious conversations – that Wisconsin is the most boring of all the United States of America. As I said, I can't really judge, but purely based on my viewing experience of "Clear Lake, WI" I'm tempted to believe the statement. The state of Wisconsin perhaps can't be held accountable for this dull and derivative movie, but the reference in the title definitely doesn't help their reputation. And yet, this movie displays a lot of potential in its basic premise and during the atmospheric opening sequences. I have a personal fascination for stories handling about ghost towns and religious small town cults, so I was immediately sold to "Clear Lake, WI". The plot centers on a young and ambitious girl student who reunites five former acolytes of the convicted reverend and self-acclaimed messiah of their hometown Clear Lake. Fifteen years ago, during the outbreak of a bizarre virus, the reverend proclaimed that the people of Clear Lake were being punished by God and encouraged his young disciples to help the Lord with this process. The return to Clear Lake doesn't only brings back old intrigues and affairs, but also oppressed nightmares and … a killer. The first full hour of the film goes by intolerably slow and practically nothing happens except for dire dialogs between characters you don't feel the least bit connected to. Biggest disappointment of all is the setting. The filming locations definitely don't raise the impression that they have been abandoned for fifteen years! The school building looks impeccably clean and the tiny paths through the woods are still easily accessible instead of bewildered. The whole thing becomes slightly – just slightly, mind you – more interesting when the killer strikes. There's a bit of tension and excitement during the third act, but the denouement is predictable and actually very logical. The DVD cover proudly pimps Michael Madsen's name, but naturally he only briefly appears during a couple of flashbacks. Not recommended.

I had an opportunity to see and advanced screening of this film along with Q&A and I must say as a film buff, especially in the genre this film falls in, they did a pretty good job for what they had to work with. No real money, shooting in a small town far from any city with a handful of crew people and dealing with the elements. The films pacing only seems to suffer because of the lack of funds to add to the overall horror effect that we are so accustomed to seeing in movies today. Sure every once in while you get a Blair Witch and Paranamormal that explodes at the box office and delivers, but for everyone one of those you get hundreds with bigger budgets, actors that fail miserably in every facet, including acting and storytelling. This film wasn't bad; it won't go down in time as one of the best or even super memorable, but kudos to these guys who didn't sit on their ass and went out there and did it and for the most part using what they had, which wasn't much, delivered a pretty decent project with good production value.

Had much higher hopes for this film based on the trailer...but the film simply didn't deliver. The acting of "Kyra" and "Reed" was horrible. I suggest they take lessons or at least don't OVER-ACT or force it. I could have done a better job acting. And I'm not an actor. The story has SOME interesting facets except that the writers/director do not fully explore them. Had they done so, the film would actually have had a chance. No idea where the contamination of the town came from, this isn't properly explained in the film and neither is most of what is seen in the trailer. The film drags on, and on, and on...and on. I hesitate about calling this a horror or thriller because it doesn't really have these elements.

The film simply doesn't deliver, on all counts.