The new psychological thriller Bone Lake, with all its explorations of sexual tension and erotic bloodbaths, could’ve easily been titled Boner Lake. And I sort of wish it had been. But I digress.

Directed by Mercedes Bryce Morgan (Fixation) and written by Josh Friedlander (Suicide Blonde), Bone Lake dives into the increasingly popular “Airbnb Goes Bad” subgenre and does so with enough confidence, style, and bloodletting to make it a satisfying entry, while not a groundbreaking one.

The movie kicks off with a bang, with a gratuitous naked chase through the woods that ends in a series of brutal impalements that would make even seasoned gore fiends wince. It’s a bold, bloody way to open the film, and while it’s only loosely connected to the main narrative, it sets the tone: things are going to get messy.

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Enter married couple Sage (Maddie Hasson) and Diego (Marco Pigossi), winding down a long European vacation with a final weekend in a stunning Italian estate they scored on the cheap. But before the wine even gets poured, they’re interrupted (mid-afterglow) by Will (Alex Roe) and Cin (Andra Nechita), another couple who also claim to have rented the property. With the owners MIA and no clear resolution in sight, the four decide to share the sprawling estate for the weekend. The one caveat? If things get uncomfortable, they flip a coin—one couple leaves.

Sure. What could go wrong?

Will and Cin seem… off. Too sexy. Too open. Too curious. They’re the type of couple who ask the kind of personal questions that seem harmless on the surface but make you wonder what game they’re really playing. Diego and Sage, on the other hand, appear stable, even sweet, but beneath the surface, cracks are showing. Sage isn’t feeling particularly connected, physically or emotionally, while Diego is planning to propose, despite having just quit his job to write a novel that no one asked for (except maybe himself). The imbalance is real, and Will and Cin are quick to pick up on it.

So are they just eccentric? Or is there something more sinister happening behind those constantly locked doors in the house? And what exactly lies beneath the murky surface of the property’s charmingly named Bone Lake, a place rumored to hold more than just metaphorical skeletons?

Here’s the thing: if you walk into Bone Lake expecting a slasher or a masked killer in the woods (which the poster and trailer suggest), you’re going to be thrown a bit. The first hour plays more like an erotic psychological thriller than straight horror. There’s a lot of simmering, a straightforward, sexually charged awkwardness, and carefully observed relationship dynamics that keep you guessing. It’s only in the final act that the movie hits the gas and dives headlong into blood-soaked madness.

But that doesn’t mean the build-up is boring. In fact, that’s where Bone Lake does its best work. The cast of four keeps you on edge, selling the tension and the subtle shifts in power between the characters. There’s nothing particularly new here in terms of structure or story (it’s pretty clear from the start where we’re heading), but the devil, as always, is in the details.

Credit where it’s due: the casting feels like a second-tier dream lineup (if Florence Pugh, Jonathan Bailey, Dave Franco, and Shay Mitchell had passed), but that doesn’t diminish the performances. In fact, everyone’s terrific. Maddie Hasson delivers the most grounded, emotionally resonant performance of the group, and we immediately understand and empathize with Sage’s internal conflict. Marco Pigossi plays Diego with a mix of earnestness and quiet desperation that makes his character feel tragically relatable. Roe and Nechita are pitch-perfect as the alluring wildcards. You can’t tell if they’re predators, swingers, or something much worse, and they play that ambiguity like pros.

Morgan’s direction keeps things tight and compelling, balancing the mundanity of shared meals and awkward conversation with creeping dread. When the final act comes and the knives (and other sharp things) come out, it’s a bloody, suspenseful payoff that feels earned, if a bit expected. It’s not rewriting any rules of the genre, but it knows exactly what it is and executes that with confidence.

So no, Bone Lake isn’t the most original psycho-thriller you’ll see this year. But it is sleek, stylish, well-acted, and loaded with just enough mystery and menace to keep you leaning in. The build-up is a slow-burn, the sex is awkwardly omnipresent, the secrets are juicy, and when it finally goes full bloodbath, it’s a hell of a ride.

Bone Lake opens in theaters on October 3, 2025.