Bone Lake review – holiday rental house of horror is fun for everyone

It is certainly unusual to see in closeup an arrow fired into a naked scrotum before the title of a film has even been shown, but this is that rare film. The scrotum in question belongs to a man fleeing unclothed through the woods from an unseen assailant, together with an equally naked female companion who also comes swiftly to a sticky end. As opening salvoes go, it hits the spot, as it were. Then the film proper begins. A couple arrive at a bougie rental home only to find themselves facing the ultimate millennial nightmare: you’ve shelled out your hand-earned cash on a place for the weekend but find another couple have also booked it. This is the problem of listings on multiple platforms! Or is something more sinister going on? (If the ballsack shish kebab didn’t tip you off, another clue lies in the fact that the movie is called Bone Lake, not Airbnb Clash.) Imagine the social boundary-pushing of recent horror Speak No Evil with characters from White Lotus season 2 using the set-up from Barbarian, and you’ll have a pretty good idea of how much fun this will all prove to be. It isn’t only for committed horror fans: the witty dialogue and likable performances would make Bone Lake a highly watchable comic thriller even if there weren’t any nasty elements. The film-making is properly zesty, whether we’re watching a couple humping lustily on a bearskin rug or fleeing as best they can from the business end of a kitchen knife. The casting helps immensely: the Florence Pugh-esque Maddie Hasson is sympathetic without being bland, while Alex Roe channels a splendid Dave Franco crossed with Matthew Lillard energy that is perfect for the character. It always feels as if the people making this movie are having fun, and while that’s never a guarantee that the audience will too, it’s certainly the case here. • Bone Lake is on digital platforms from 24 November.