Blackwater Lane feels like a bargain bin thriller that should have come out in 2008, despite being based on the 2017 novel The Breakdown by B.A. Paris, the film feels more like the derivative works of the 2000s that were released in the hopes of finding the same success as What Lies Beneath and Gothika. Unfortunately, it is as predictable and tedious as one of those clones, too.
Minka Kelly gives a lifeless lead performance as Cassandra “Cass” Anderson. The character is a teacher residing in England with her husband, Matthew (Dermot Mulroney). They live in a giant stone house surrounded by ponds and woods, with a side road called Blackwater Lane near their property. Cass also enjoys time with her close friend, Rachel (Maggie Grace).
One dark and stormy night, Cass is driving home on the side road when she sees a parked car. She stops and notices a woman sitting still in it. The next day, Cass learns the woman was actually murdered. Cass begins seeing and hearing things in the following days, from faces on the television to babies crying in the yard.
“…Cass begins seeing and hearing things in the following days…”
While I haven’t read Paris’ novel that Blackwater Lane is based on, the screenplay by Elizabeth Fowler features a by-the-numbers plot of a woman who thinks she is losing her mind – but may just be a victim of gaslighting. From the first few minutes, it is pretty predictable where the film will eventually lead. Getting there with little subversion along the way can be a drag, with the characters having the most typical goals as they cozen each other. The usual cliches are here, from Cass being on meds to grapple with anxiety to her having lost her mom and now seeing her everywhere. There are shadows behind tarps, static voices on the phone, and Cass being startled by hands grabbing her shoulder. Yawn.
Director Jeff Celentano and cinematographer Felix Cramer try to give some polish to the project with long drone shots and arc shots. The setting is always nice to look at, too, with some overhead shots of the property showing off the house. The place would have been a great setting for an old Hammer horror movie, but Celentano only occasionally uses the atmosphere of the place to his advantage. The dull Blackwater Lane only comes alive in its third act. At that point, the film finally gets some energy as it embraces the silly side of its pulpy material. Before then, Celentano’s film plays out too seriously and in a flat manner.
"…only comes alive in its third act..."
