User reviews

This movie is awful. It makes no sense. What is the deal with the witch? Is she a good flower-child, but the 1800s version? Is she an evil seductress? And the woman who plays he is the absolute worst actress I have ever seen. This is not a horror movie, either. Nothing happens and nothing makes sense. And why introduce Gracie if she just disappears?

David Shelby was good as Emery. That's the only positive thing I can say.

Jeez, what a slow moving, stupid movie. I can't believe all the high ratings. There wasn't anything scary about it. Nothing. The ending was awful; I have no idea what happened or why. Avoid this one.

Plot was a good idea... Then it fell flat, bad directing, bad writing, mostly bad acting, very bad lighting

This film was so depressing I had to give it a pass, and refused to watch anymore, once we learned his wife died three months ago and she was pregnant. The dreary background score, the lacklustre characters and the storyline were just all so boring.

It takes a lot to scare me, and this wasn't it. In order to be scared, you have to be awake. And I was only marginally so during this whole thing. I regretted wasting precious time on this.

Loon Lake (2019) not to be confused with Loon Lake (2022) is an ambitious microbudget that doesn't get bogged down with too many micro-budget production issues to distract you from the narrative.

The elements of period piece sprinkled throughout, a big "no-no" for filmmakers on a budget, are produced admirably. David Selby carries these scenes (as well as several in the main narrative) as a corrupted and conflicted Pastor.

Selby is the highlight of the film for me playing both a Heston-esque town-leader with a deep, booming voice, before transforming into the caring, soft-spoken neighbor just a few scenes later.

Performances are relatively strong throughout the cast with some notable exceptions for a little ham and cheese. I found myself chuckling at a scene where Louis has named his fists, a clearly tongue in cheek moment that seems a little out of place in an otherwise straight horror film.

I think the biggest faults of the film are when it tries to emulate it's Hollywood counterpart a little too closely. Louis emerging from the shed, axe in hand, calling out into the darkness, "I'm ready for you!" is a trope I've seen a few too many times with horror films for the last few decades, and while it reminds us that we're watching a genre piece, I'm not so sure it's necessary as we're inching closer to our climax.

I can appreciate the restraint. It has to be tempting to rush to jump scares and violent scenes, but Loon Lake relies more on it's atmosphere. When we do get those scares, they are earned and effective. It's an incredibly tough technical feat to pull off, and I'm happy to witness emerging filmmakers taking those risks for the sake of a project that they are clearly very passionate about.

As a kid from the cornfields of Illinois, I can appreciate the horror of isolation and the dread of existence in a nearly deserted town.

As with any film, it's not for everyone, but Selby alone is worth your time if you are looking to give something off-the-radar a chance.

I thought this movie was very well made. You can tell at times it's a low budget Indie film, but what it lacks with budget it makes up with acting, writing and pulse. Mind bending and thought provoking. I'll have to watch it again to catch all the fine details.

I like suspenseful, intelligent horror more than gore. This is a real thriller of a ghost story! A really well done, scary, haunting horror film. It's psychological, well shot and acted. I'm so glad I watched this one!

Loon Lake is an amazing indie horror film, from Ansel Faraj, staring Nathan Wilson, David Selby and Kathryn Leigh Scott. It tells the tale of Louis Olsen, a broken young man trying to escape the city and his past. Louis is then confronted with legend of Mary Jane Terwilliger, the Witch of Loon Lake...

I'm not gonna spoil any of it here, you'll just have to go watch it yourself, trust me it's worth it.

The Movie is a beautiful mix of folk Horror, ghost story and mystery, with a deeply melancholy atmosphere throughout. The cinematography is reminiscent of people like Dean Cundey and John Coquillon and the whole thing come across as a throw back to 70s cinema.

I can't gush enough, about this Movies! It's rare these days, that I'm actually surprised by a movie, especially in this genre. It just proves that you should never judge a movie by its budget!

The acting, directing, cinematography, score and screenplay have been carefully crafted in this well-above-average indie horror flick. It reminded me of many other horror movies I love ("The Ring," "The Possession of Michael King," etc.), but still stood out strongly as its own story. I was very impressed by the acting, character development and dialogue in particular. I'm glad I heard about this one!

This was great indie psychological thriller. It had some unexpected twists and turns, so left me surprised rather than i knew exactly what was going to happen. I liked how it kept changing in time, to the past and present and thought they did a good job with that, also the acting and script.

What a treat of a film and just in time for Halloween! David Selby, a main actor, was terrific (of course he would be right)! I also enjoyed a lot Nathan Wilson. These two actors were simply great! They had wonderful chemistry together. I thoroughly enjoyed the story but don't wanted to be accused of being a spoiler. Director Ansel Faraj did a wonderful job in keeping the movie moving along. I was never bored once which is seldom ever the case for me. A big thumbs up from me for this film!

I recently watched "Loon Lake" and found the Thriller Excellent. I grew up by Loon Lake and have known about the Legend of the Loon Lake grave yard and Mary Jane most of my life. When we would visit the grave yard when I was in high school weird things would happen there. It had a spooky feel just being there.

The movie did an excellent job of bring the legend to film. All the actors did a brilliant job. The filming was done fantastic. The back ground shadows that moved and subtle reflections were perfect. That is what often scares me the Most. The music was awesome. I usually don't notice the music but it was perfect.

All in all it was definitely well worth watching!

I enjoyed this psychological thriller. The acting was excellent, the Minnesota locations were atmospheric and haunting. It might be low budget, but the story is compelling and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Highly recommended for Halloween viewing.

I found myself holding my breath, waiting for what was going to happen next. The story was very compelling and scary. Based on a real witch legend in southwest Minnesota. By where I'm from. Defiantly a thinker and not a straight forward story, which I LOVED! Intelligent horror more than gore.

Loon Lake is a surprisingly good horror/ghost story film with production values that bely its small budget. The photography, music, and acting are a cut above the usual independent film. It is fun to see an old pro like David Selby playing multiple roles, but I was most impressed with Kelly Erin Decker (listed in the credits as Kelly Kitko). Her performance as the accused witch is controlled and convincing. Her portrayal of the character is eerily frightening without resorting to histrionics.

The plot may not be groundbreaking, but the movie maintains one's interest throughout. So, if you like a good horror flick, give Loon Lake a try

The "Loon" of "Loon Lake" probably refers to the indigenous aquatic birds that surely populate the watery namesake of this rural American ghost story. But the term could well be applied to choice characters we meet along the way in a great film that veers from very intentionally plain-faced to straight-up trippy in its telling of a tale reportedly adapted from regional folklore.

Louis (Nathan Wilson) has lost his wife. And like so many who experience grief are problematically prone to doing, he seeks out solitude rather than interpersonal engagement, and reckons he's found plenty of "me time" in Minnesota's remote lakeland environs. In exploring those local fishing holes, he literally stumbles on and over the grave of long-goner Mary Jane Terlinder -- played with terrific aplomb by Kelly Erin Decker -- who in life's finishing move was brutally separated at the head by a God-willing priest. Louis has certainly managed to evoke the mesmerizing witch by crossing her path, but has he truly brought her back into the "real world" beyond where she might exist in his mind?

In the balance, "Loon Lake" is an engrossing, psychologically-wired horror film, expertly using the most time-tested tools of the ghost story genre to spook, then lull, then delight. The often-pretty and decidedly understated images of rural Americana yield to Glamour Shot-on-acid flashback motifs with shimmering, full-body spectral lighting -- arguably evocative of horror masters like Dario Argento -- in which we see a seductive witch and a fire-and-brimstone priest glow and flicker darkly as if consumed by candlelight. It all amounts to highly effective and attractively old-world, campfire-esque storytelling, positioning "Loon Lake" as a must-see sensory head trip.

Such a great movie to watch coming into the spooky season! This supernatural horror really delivered the tension. The performances were great, and the music and cinematography elevated the creepiness. Definitely recommend!

Look Lake is an excellent horror. The suspense is well crafted and very effective. From a technical standpoint, I thought the cinematography is what impressed me the most, as the camera work is very impressive. The production design was excellent as well. All in all, this was well done, and very frightening!

This movie has some really great scares and uses some excellent old school tropes that never fail to give me the suspense and shock moments I'm looking for in my horror flicks. Ansel Faraj does a great job in all aspects of the film. Easy on the gore and strong on the horror, this one is worth watching.

Nathan Wilson, Ansel Faraj and Kelly Kitko take the familiar legend of Mary Jane, reanimating it as a spiraling kaleidoscope of past & present, of myth & imagination, of visions & and reality. Themes that run through LOON LAKE are almost Shakespearean in capturing human tragedy: the torment of grief, plagued by loss of faith, beset upon by supernatural forces, specters of madness lurking in shadows... The lush Minnesota countryside makes it feel like a Hammer Film, with moments of macabre, spine-chilling terror reminiscent of Poe. Bill Wandel's evocative original score ties everything together effortlessly. As a kid who ran home after school to watch Dark Shadows, having David Selby and Kathryn Leigh Scott paired up again (in different, albeit similar, roles) felt like seeing old friends reunited, creating authentic gothic horror ambiance. Nathan Wilson delivered all the emotion of a grieving widower, it touched my heart, particularly one scene between him and David Selby. Kelly Kitko's portrayal of the vengeful Mary Jane was potent, from innocent to ominous, compellingly sympathetic. Director Ansel Faraj has a gift for creating a mood, for crafting a tale, getting inside your mind, and he's done it again!