The third episode (already) brings "Supernatural" into the territory of mainstream nowadays horror topics, with a story revolving on the restless spirit of a young child trapped in a remote Wisconsin lake and aiming his vengeance towards the innocent descendants of his murderer(s). Sam & Dean Winchester, continuously on the road looking for their vanished father, read about the mysterious drowning of a teenage girl in lake Manitoc and decide to investigate. With the help of a local beauty and her traumatized son, they quickly discover that several people, all connected to each other by blood, drowned in the lake over the past 35 years, yet none of the bodies were ever found. It also seems like a couple of townspeople know more about the "thing" that dwells the lake, but they suspiciously keep their mouths shut. This story's content is rather reminiscent to a lot of recent Asian ghost movies (and their American remakes), like "The Ring", "Ju-On: The Grudge" and "Phone". The convoluted story slowly develops and the horrific effects are limited to POV-shots from underneath the water and/or the occasional glimpse at a blurry shape hiding in the lake. The atmosphere of "Dead in the Water" is also less intense than in the previous two episodes and the script sadly reverts to a couple of dreadful clichés, like the silent kid and 'self-sacrifice'-finale. Still, "Supernatural" remains one of today's superior TV-series, with main characters that get more likable with each episode and a spitfire of witty dialogs. The filming locations are excellent and the multiple ominous images of the still lake will surely remind hardcore horror fans of Jason Vorhees' hunting area in the legendary "Friday the 13th" films. I'm secretly hoping the show soon gets a little gorier, but probably not.
Review of Dead in the Water
