Review of "Devil's Pond" DVD (2003)

Review by Staci Layne Wilson for Horror.com

Fit, blonde 20-somethings with names like Tara and Kip certainly deserve to be murdered in the woods -- or at least, that's the mores in the world of low-budget horror films. Devil's Pond stars Tara Reid and Kip Pardue as Julianne and Mitch, young newlyweds who go on their honeymoon to a super-secluded little island cabin, deep in the dark woods.

There are campfire tales, there is an ax, and someone does go insane -- and yet, Devil's Pond isn't so much the horror film it touts itself to be as it is a psychological thriller ("psychologically thrilling", that is, if your IQ is about the same as room temperature). Devil's Pond is predictable and not terribly scary by anyone's measure, and yet it does have a few things going for it. The acting is not bad and although the focus throughout the entire film is on just two rather one-dimensional characters, it's still interesting enough to watch all the way through. Once.

The DVD includes several bits of additional release material. There are two commentary tracks 1) Writer/director Joe Viertel and writers Alek Friedman and Mora Stephens, 2) Producers J. Todd Harris and Craig Davis Roth -- neither of which is terribly compelling. They really should have had a commentary track with the actors for a little levity -- I don't know about Pardue, but Reid is actually a pretty funny person. There's also a very dull "making of" featurette that drags on and on, as well as even duller storyboard comparisons. The only halfway decent extra was the reel of deleted scenes with the director's commentary.