‘Nine innocent people. One dark night of hell on earth. One by one, horror by horror, they will play the game of death.’
The Black Waters of Echo’s Pond is a 2009 supernatural horror film directed by Gabriel Bologna (African Gothic) from a screenplay co-written with co-writers Sean Clark and Michael Berenson. The film’s score was provided by Harry Manfredini (Friday the 13th and sequels). The movie stars Robert Patrick, Danielle Harris and James Duval.
Release:
The film premiered on October 11, 2009, as part of the Freak Show Horror Film Festival at the yearly Spooky Empire horror convention and the limited theatrical release was on April 9, 2010.
Buy Blu-ray: Amazon.com
Plot:
On a remote island, party animal Rick (James Duval), wild child Veronique (Mircea Monroe), uptight Robert (M.D. Walton) and six other friends are on vacation staying in a plush mansion, where they find a mysterious board game. But the game proves dangerous when it draws out the nastiest qualities in all of its players.
As buried fears, resentments, greed and physical attractions quickly and unsettlingly emerge, the game’s goal becomes crystal clear: stay alive…
Reviews:
“As truths unfurl, resentments flare, and soon the kids are slaying each other with all manner of sharp objects, including, of course, a chainsaw. Bloody and gory, but in a friendly way, this is a movie for old-school horror fans who understand that, sometimes, bad is good.” Village Voice
“Rather than the hard-edge, gruelling approach of many contemporary horror films, Black Waters of Echo’s Pond opts for the old-fashioned, sudden sting – which is over almost as soon as it begins. It’s almost quaint in its utter effectiveness. Easily the most impressive effect is the computer-generated blackened eyes of the possessed, which clear up with eerie efficiency as they expire.” Cinefantastique
“Multinational, multi-ethnic protags are so shallow and bitchy we can hardly wait for them to start getting offed, but it takes nearly an hour for that mayhem to commence. Even then, pacing remains flat, exacerbated by bad dialogue, some subpar f/x and variable perfs. Overall production values are B-grade, cable-ready.” Variety
“Give the movie a little credit for coming up with the idea of an ancient monster. And the design of the game is terrific. But this is just Jumanji with gore effects and topless scenes.” Newark Star-Ledger
“Besides the rough start to the movie, a plot line that is also confusing almost midway through, and not being 100% polished; The Black Waters of Echo’s Pond was worth the wait! I can see myself watching it again, and soon too! It has everything a horror fan could want, and an ending that isn’t too predictable.” Horror Society
Cast and characters:
Robert Patrick … Pete
Danielle Harris … Kathy
Sean Lawlor … Charles
James Duval … Rick
Nick Mennell … Josh
Mircea Monroe … Veronique
Arcadiy Golubovich … Anton
Electra Avellan … Renee
Elise Avellan … Erica
Walker Howard … Trent
M.D. Walton … Robert
Declan Joyce … Danny
Nitsa Benchetrit … Florence
Adamo Palladino … Niegel
Jason Loughridge … Clint
Steve Eoff … The Butler
Melissa Barker … Inn Keeper
Julie Stensland … Maid #1
Tom Proctor … Thomas
Richard Tyson … Nicholas
Kurt Carley … The Pan
Technical details:
89 minutes
Aspect ratio: 1.78: 1
Trailer:
