Lake of the Dead

Kåre Bergstrøm's 1958 Norwegian film is considered a founding work of Scandinavian horror. A group of friends set out for a cabin in the forest, where an old rumour holds that screams can be heard at night from the nearby lake. When they arrive, the friend who should have been waiting is missing, and tension begins to rise among them. The film builds its fear out of atmosphere and sound rather than image: the forest, the water, the night and the story itself. The tension between rational explanation and the supernatural is sustained to the end. The screenplay rests on a novel by André Bjerke, who also appears in the film as an actor. It has repeatedly been named among the best Norwegian films ever made. Who it's for: viewers who like classic atmospheric horror and Scandinavian cinema. Who it's not for: anyone wanting direct horror effects and pace; the film is slow and talky.