To think a M. Night Shyamalan double feature this year might have been impossible, yet here we are! Previously this year, Shyamalan brought fans an unusual social media-breaking horror-thriller in Trap. While that film spawned countless memes and edits about Joshua Hartnett’s killer character, it still had some mature ideas. Its themes about family have been a staple for Shyamalan and his latest film, Caddo Lake, continues re-imagining that idea. With stellar performances from Dylan O’Brien and Eliza Scanlen, Caddo Lake executes its concept of blending Old and Gone Girl together with ease.
Discussing Caddo Lake‘s plot without getting too deep into the Shyamalan mind-boggling of it is somewhat difficult. It follows two characters with varying perspectives given their circumstances. Paris (Dylan O’Brien), an environmental worker struggling with his mother’s death, and foster child Ellie (Eliza Scanlen), who hates her parents. When Ellie’s stepsister mysteriously vanishes, a series of past deaths and disappearances start to link together, forever altering history.
Initially, Caddo Lake throws you into chaos with an opening scene that highlights how uncomfortable it gets. By focusing on a harrowing incident in Paris’s life, it tries to play on that toil with deep cut close-ups with an eerie track. Unlike Shyamalan’s more recent films, it doesn’t try to hide how personal the stakes are in Paris’s case. In contrast to Ellie’s more light-hearted, yet bleak, introduction, Paris’s introduction is much more intense, yet creates this intriguing motivation.
However, both Paris and Ellie are challenged by the distant relationships with their parents, foster or otherwise. These family dynamics quietly set up much needed emotional developments later on. As such, you might not be as pulled into the film yet. Yet, as Caddo Lake goes on, you can’t help but think that there’s something more between Paris and Ellie. Paris and Ellie’s parents are struggling to maintain order while hiding this bigger truth, escalating the plot in extreme ways. They let on with some hints and teases, yet the mystery written by Celine Held and Logan George feels thrilling throughout.
As for the performances, both O’Brien and Scanlen really accentuate their characters’ traits with brevity. Scanlen’s Ellie truly showcased the film’s depth with nuance, bringing out an emotional vulnerability that made me sympathetic for her. Ellie’s scenes with Celeste (Lauren Ambrose) were heartbreaking to watch, which just increased the film’s stakes that higher. On the other hand, O’Brien’s Paris is much more determined and focused on the task at hand, which may feel surface-level. However, with more context added later on, O’Brien gives Paris a more expressive personality that makes him compelling to watch.
Speaking about the hints, Caddo Lake is full of them, with some classic Shyamalan misdirection in between. There are several teases that try to throw you off what the twist is, from some scary ambient noises to certain environmental changes. These little details, which might have you wondering why they were added in the first place, slowly come together. As the film goes on, these changes gradually build upon each other to make its ideas feel more cohesive, which works to a degree. There are also some scenes that try to make Paris and Ellie more complex, but they result in making the film somewhat convoluted.
When the Shyamalan twist hits, it’ll certainly make you rethink what you’ve just watched. It’s not necessarily on the level of The Sixth Sense; instead, it feels like it’s on the levels of Old. However, that doesn’t mean it’s bad at all. Rather, it tries to tie all the narrative threads together in a way that feels mostly satisfactory given everything. It may rush things a bit due to it being near the end of the final act, yet there’s still an emotional weight to it that feels impactful.
Outside of the narrative, the use of the actual lake in Caddo Lake is wonderfully put on display. The cinematography done by Lowell A. Meyer, under Held and George’s direction, truly gives life to its surroundings. There are certain overhead shots that make the location feel much more supernaturally visceral than it is. It constantly perpetuates the film’s sinister undertones that plays into the terror perfectly. With a certain setting like the real life Caddo Lake, Held and George have certainly proven their capabilities in visual stylization.
In the end, Caddo Lake is another thrilling story from M. Night Shyamalan that almost works with its two-genre approach, yet has the potential to go deeper. O’Brien, Scanlen, and Ambrose deliver powerful performances that absolutely carry the film to higher levels, giving it their all. Plus, with the unique cinematographic choices, Held and George have displayed they’re ready to do more in the future. However, where this film lands on the Shyamalan lists of most insane twists will remain its own mystery (for now!)
Caddo Lake releases on Max on October 10.
