@Roderick

Thanks for the constructive input.

As for the budget I cannot give you an exact figure. We're re-writing now with two producers attached. We're looking to do it for less than 2m.

We're looking for make-up effects rather than digital manipulation. Although, at this point we're not excluding any options. I do love the watery eyeball idea.

The audience never finds out exactly what is in the water, but we do allude to mysticism in the lake's surroundings.

The reason we're struggling with the physical manifestation is because there is a leg amputation scene in the script. The characters become so distraught that they feel their only way to survive and regain normalcy/ sanity is by cutting off the limbs affected by the water. In the scene it is the leg, because it is the first part of the body to touch the water. An expanding mark would therefore be the best option.

@TheShape

I agree, I'd like to keep it simple. And we don't necessarily need anything crazy or gross for the sake of the genre. It's even possible that the solution lies in the character's imagination. That there is, in fact, nothing wrong with the skin, but that it's simply imagined.

Whichever way we choose to proceed, we need to find a way to manifest the changes visually, and if it's something to do with water, great. An idea is molding of the skin, symbolizing the mental decay, connected to humidity.

Any Thoughts?