"Terror at Tenkiller" focuses on two young college coeds, Leslie and Janna, who go to spend the summer at Oklahoma's Tenkiller Lake, where Leslie hopes to avoid her controlling and abusive boyfriend, Josh. The two women are unaware that a series of violent murders are occurring at the lake.
I am not going to try to argue that "Terror at Tenkiller" is an objectively good film, because there are a multitude of things wrong with it (acting, story, lack of suspense), but I personally found this little-seen regional effort highly enjoyable and unexpectedly strange. It is true that there is really no suspense to speak of, nor is there really any mystery (at least traditionally speaking) in terms of the identity of the villain--it is also hardly a slasher film. The acting suffers more often than not, possibly because all of the dialogue had to be dubbed in post-production, and the dialogue itself often comes across as stilted and wooden.
That being said, "Terror at Tenkiller" manages to function wonderfully as a weird and indelible fever dream of a film. It is the type of movie whose technical shortcomings and fundamental quirks manage to collide in such a way that the end result is far more transfixing than it has any right to be. The languid pacing, lush but rustic lake locations, and memorable synthesizer score all add up to something here, though it's difficult to put your finger on what exactly that "something" is. There are a number of surreal dream sequences in the film that are actually quite eerie, largely owing to clever editing and photography, and some of the special gore effects are surprisingly effective (particularly those in the opening sequence).
It is in the last thirty minutes or so that "Terror at Tenkiller" manages to ramp up into a short-lived slasher mode, which for some will be too little, too late. There is also a strange suggestion the film makes in its final moments, which leaves you questioning whether or not there could be a supernatural bent at play here. This, among many other things, will put off some viewers. However, for fans of weird cinema, "Terror at Tenkiller" stands as an uncanny time capsule of 1980s ephemera; elements such as the old lake house, the rustic diner with Coors ashtrays, and the period swimsuit lycra all lend the film a sense of nostalgia teetering on "lost in time." RiffTrax be damned, I think this film deserves a tad more respect, even if its strengths are pure accidents. 8/10.
I am not going to try to argue that "Terror at Tenkiller" is an objectively good film, because there are a multitude of things wrong with it (acting, story, lack of suspense), but I personally found this little-seen regional effort highly enjoyable and unexpectedly strange. It is true that there is really no suspense to speak of, nor is there really any mystery (at least traditionally speaking) in terms of the identity of the villain--it is also hardly a slasher film. The acting suffers more often than not, possibly because all of the dialogue had to be dubbed in post-production, and the dialogue itself often comes across as stilted and wooden.
That being said, "Terror at Tenkiller" manages to function wonderfully as a weird and indelible fever dream of a film. It is the type of movie whose technical shortcomings and fundamental quirks manage to collide in such a way that the end result is far more transfixing than it has any right to be. The languid pacing, lush but rustic lake locations, and memorable synthesizer score all add up to something here, though it's difficult to put your finger on what exactly that "something" is. There are a number of surreal dream sequences in the film that are actually quite eerie, largely owing to clever editing and photography, and some of the special gore effects are surprisingly effective (particularly those in the opening sequence).
It is in the last thirty minutes or so that "Terror at Tenkiller" manages to ramp up into a short-lived slasher mode, which for some will be too little, too late. There is also a strange suggestion the film makes in its final moments, which leaves you questioning whether or not there could be a supernatural bent at play here. This, among many other things, will put off some viewers. However, for fans of weird cinema, "Terror at Tenkiller" stands as an uncanny time capsule of 1980s ephemera; elements such as the old lake house, the rustic diner with Coors ashtrays, and the period swimsuit lycra all lend the film a sense of nostalgia teetering on "lost in time." RiffTrax be damned, I think this film deserves a tad more respect, even if its strengths are pure accidents. 8/10.