Last year, author Michael Koryta’s novel Those Who Wish Me Dead made its way to big screens (and streaming) as an A-lister-stacked thriller and unabashed throwback to ‘90s genre films. His latest adaptation So Cold the River tackles an entirely different genre and tone, while still seeming like a throwback. Filmed entirely in Indiana, within and around a local landmark and with locals cast as extras, one might get the vibe of ‘80s and ‘90s regional horror from this supernatural mystery. Unfortunately, So Cold the River seems to aspire towards the leaden entries of that category.
Which is a shame, because there is an intriguing premise underlying So Cold the River’s runtime. Documentarian Erica Shaw (Bethany Joy Lenz) is commissioned to profile the bed-stricken wealthy father of Alyssa Bradford-Cohen (Alysia Reiner), while he resides under the historical roof of Indiana’s French Lick Resort. But as she learns more about Mr. Campell Bradford and his dark ties to the community, a generational curse and insidious links to the local supply of (possibly) haunted mineral water begins to invade the story and its protagonists’ lives.
Such a character-driven story rests on the strength of those characters, and So Cold the River never manages to provide a strong foundation. While Bethany Joy Lenz gives a decently engaging performance as Erica, the script fails her; not only is her protagonist thinly-sketched and seems detached from the larger, more interesting drama, her character’s decision to attempt to seduce Campbell’s great-grandson (ostensibly to learn more about her documentary’s figure) only serves to make her an unlikable lead. Her ambitious documentary intern Kellyn (Katie Sarife) becomes a more interesting personality by comparison, but it isn’t enough to support the film, especially when the horror itself can’t compensate either.
Similarly to how the premise begins promisingly before crumbling, director Paul Shoulberg manages to initially craft a sense of looming suspense, as questions are met with unnerving silence. Then the cliched hallucinations and jump scares begin, leaving a satisfying pay-off as the last resort for this mystery, yet only an abrupt anticlimactic denouement awaits viewers. In the end, the greatest character and most effective aspect of So Cold the River turns out to be its setting. The Gothic halls and mammoth dome of the French Lick infuses the middling rest of the film with a palpable atmosphere and sense of place. Shoulberg certainly understands the power of his location; its spaces seem to engulf the characters and the frame, garnering more unease than the story or scares. More than the narrative intrigue, more than the occasionally eerie visuals, more than the creepy old man or his sinister secrets, it’s the resort that provides So Cold the River with a haunting aura.
Despite early promise, a committed cast, and generally handsome production, an eerie location isn’t enough to single-handedly salvage the film’s failings elsewhere. Perhaps the book better serves these characters and their stories, but onscreen, So Cold the River only achieves stock supernatural horror at best and forgettable underwhelming tedium at worst.
Photo courtesy of Saban Films
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