Bone Lake (2025) * * *

Directed by:  Mercedes Bryce Morgan

Starring:  Maddie Hasson, Marco Pigossi, Alex Roe, Andra Nechita

Airbnb rentals are becoming the new stage for horror (see Barbarian, or at least the first thirty minutes).  There is always the possibility of a double booking in error going horribly wrong.  Bone Lake is a movie covering that ground which plays deftly as a tense psychological thriller involving two couples with one terrorizing the other over a weekend in a small mansion overlooking a serene lake.  

Bone Lake begins with a naked couple being hunted by an unseen assassin wielding a crossbow.  The arrow pierces the man's nether regions before switching over to the present day, where long-time couple Diego (Pigossi) and Sage (Hasson) are traveling to the lake in hopes of a quiet weekend away from the world's (and their own) troubles.  That ends quickly with the arrival of Will (Roe) and Cin (Nechita-short for Cinnamon and not Cindy), who also booked the home for the same weekend.  Rather than getting a refund, Diego and Sage decide to let Will and Cin stay.  At first, Will and Cin are overly friendly and ask a lot of personal questions before it becomes apparent to us, if not Sage and Diego, that Will and Cin are subtly and then overtly attempting to seduce Diego and Cin and make them question their love for each other.

That would be creepy enough, but there are sinister motives afoot and revelations about Will and Cin which play a role in the proceedings.  I didn't know what to expect from Bone Lake.  I'm glad there are no ghosts or supernatural forces at play, and the movie stays grounded in suspense rather than gore (until the end when comeuppances occur), in which case the blood spurts.  But Bone Lake is well-acted by four appealing actors who know their roles well.  Diego and Sage are sympathetic, while Will and Cin are quietly menacing.  We know they're up to something, but aren't sure what.  Bone Lake patiently plays out without dragging out, and that's saying something.