Fever Lake

“Sweet Sixteen” as a cabin-in-the-woods flick in southeast Wisconsin

Three guys & three gals from Carthage College in Kenosha enjoy a getaway at a vacant house on the remote side of Fever Lake. A recluse Indian (Michael Wise) warns the sheriff (Bo Hopkins) of the spirit of the lake being unleashed, which means that the youths are in serious danger.

Shot at the beginning of autumn in 1995, “Fever Lake” wasn’t released to video until two years later. My title blurb is a good succinct description of the movie since it includes elements of “Sweet Sixteen,” which was shot 13 years earlier. I’m talking about Hopkins and a key Indian character. There’s also something taken from “The Shining,” which is obvious from the outset, along with the climax borrowing from “Psycho.”

While this is easily the least of these movies due to its unimaginative execution and the eye-rolling depiction of the Indian, it’s otherwise likable in a “Terror at Tenkiller” way. Although it’s rated ‘R’ for mild “frightening & intense scenes,” it’s more like a PG-13 film at worst. For instance, there’s no cussing (that I can remember) and the males and females sleep in separate rooms, not to mention there’s zero nudity. Don’t get me wrong, they do frolic in the water, drink, and make-out, as is usual.

Fans of Corey Haim and Mario Lopez might be interested since they play the male protagonists. On the other side of the gender spectrum, Mathea Webb stands out as dirt blonde Christy; she has a decent bikini scene. Meanwhile Lauren Parker is a'right as brunette Sarah.

As for the “eye-rolling depiction of the Indian,” this could be explained on the grounds that he lived alone on the lake, practicing his spiritual beliefs and living a subsistent lifestyle. He obviously didn’t have much, if any, contact with the townspeople beyond the sheriff. As such, he probably spoke his native language in his personal life (including his thought life), which would explain why his English was so stilted.

It runs about 1 hour, 33 minutes, and was shot at Carthage College in Kenosha and Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, the latter being 29 miles west of the college. These areas are located midway between Milwaukee and Chicago, not far from the border of Illinois.

GRADE: C