Inconspicuous but nevertheless stylish Lamberto Bava thriller with a couple of remotely suspenseful sequences and an attractive Italian cast. The plot sounds very familiar but, although Bava doesn't really pretend to be original, he still manages to make his film look innovating and compelling at times. The beautiful Linda and her virulent lover Carlo just killed Luca, Linda's fatuous husband, and they continue running the hotel/restaurant near a popular fishing-lake. Eight years later, however, a hitch-hiker shows up and he seems to know alarmingly many details about Linda's first marriage. Linda and Carlo start to distrust each other and even her little son Alex begins to suffer from nightmares about a murdered man that comes crawling out of the muddy ground... Indeed, the plot resembles a lot like "The Postman Always Rings Twice" but - since it's Bava - the killings are nastier and the characters are more deranged. When it comes to atmosphere and horrific mood-setting, this definitely is one of Lamberto Bava's best accomplishments. The music is also good and the acting is far above Italian standards, with Gioia Scola (Lucio Fulci's "Conquest), Urbano Barberini (Dario Argento's "Opera") and especially David Brandon, the mean-looking actor from "Delirium" and "Caligola the Untold Story". Recommended!