Blackwater Lane (2024) Review

Blackwater Lane (2024) Review

Shot entirely in Suffolk at the haunted Elsing Hall, BLACKWATER LANE, is based on the New York Times bestselling book THE BREAKDOWN by British author B.A. Paris.

Directed by Jeff Celentano with a screenplay co-written by Elizabeth Fowler, BLACKWATER LANE has a standout cast featuring Dermot Mulroney (MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING), Minka Kelly (EUPHORIA) & Maggie Grace (LOST).

Late one night a woman drives by a stranded motorist who is later revealed to have been murdered. After a series of terrifying events the woman believes she is the killer’s next victim.

BLACKWATER LANE has the supernatural aesthetic nailed perfectly, there’s a superbly spooky score and a creepy UK location that both ensure that this looks and sounds the part. It becomes apparent early on that this is a ‘by-the-numbers’ thriller and initially I found it agreeable if derivative. However no sooner has lead character Cass Anderson (Minka Kelly) happened upon a stranded motorist who is later revealed to have been murdered, everything fast becomes both overegged and overplayed.

BLACKWATER LANE is a near-constant stream of jump scares with unfortunately little in the way of genuine tension. Cass finds something to panic about everywhere she looks and turns prompting yet another bout of arms flaying and screaming. It becomes grating. The film’s eagerness to overemphasize everything becomes excessive, for example, anyone behaving suspiciously might as well be wearing t-shirts with the wording ‘potential suspect’ in large vibrant lettering, that’s how blatant BLACKWATER LANE is.

Blackwater Lane will be available on Digital Download from 27th January