‘Horror Noire’ Recap: ‘The Lake’ & ‘Brand of Evil’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

‘The Lake’

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the series premiere of ‘Horror Noire’.

One of the best parts of living in the digital age of entertainment, is that we are able to revisit our favorite stories time and time again and break them down in a manner that was seemingly impossible years ago. For streaming and discs and DVRs let us move freely through said stories and truly soak in every important moment and what is truly amazing, is that even television networks are starting to understand the value of offering up re-watches and break down moments and for proof… look no further than what AMC is doing. For last night saw a portion of the Shudder horror feature, Horror Noire, make its debut on AMC. A decision that quite frankly is brilliant… since it allows for audiences everywhere to see the majesty of this quality horror story and break it down like never before.
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Which is a wonderful thing for certain, since this film is filled to the brim with poignant and powerful vignettes, the kind that address a bevy of topics that need a light shone upon them and for its series premiere, Horror Noire provided us with a set of stories that looked inward and at modern society as well. But before we dig too deeply into the latter examination… let’s take a look at the first story in this anthology and explore its supremely intimate meaning. For ‘The Lake’ is a story that introduces us to a woman named Abbie, who is desperate for a fresh start. To the point where she’s moved from miles away to a lakeside house with a sorted past and taken a new job as a teacher to reinvent herself. But it doesn’t take long for problems to arise for her.

Because it turns out, that Abbie has a past, one where she clearly did something quite wrong and ruined a great deal of her life in the process and to complicate matters further… the lake harbors a special evil. One that transforms those who enter its waters into the darkest version of themselves and well… by the end of this tale it is inherently obvious that this is a cautionary tale of sorts. One that warns us to face our mistakes, regardless of their severity. Because to ignore them and to run from them… will only make matters worse. For not only will they eventually come back to haunt us, but the guilt and the gravity of what we’ve done… can consume us and turn us into something quite dark in nature and that made for one powerful tale for certain. One that stood in stark contrast to its successor.

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‘Brand of Evil’

For ‘Brand of Evil’ is a story that offered up a powerful discussion upon modern day oppression in America, and it accomplished that by introducing us to a struggling artist named Nekani, and when we catch up with him, here, it would appear his big break in the art world has finally arrived. For Nekani’s phone rings off the hook with a request from a man that is eager to commission his skills for some custom pieces. The kind that will fetch a handsome price. But there is just one problem with this arrangement, in that… the moment that Nekani has completed a piece, someone in the community dies horribly and that is attributed to the fact that the man behind the money… has a horrible agenda at play, one that will cost Nekani everything. Which at first glance is a plot that seems mired more in commentary on the power of greed.
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But once we learn that Nekani’s client is a white man that is eager to use Satanic and Neo-Nazi related symbols to summon a Demon, one that requires the souls of Black people to return… well that’s when the true commentary in this story is revealed. Because having a white man dangle bags of money to a Black artist and use him as a pawn in essence, speaks volumes to how capitalism and wealth inequality is used often in modern America to repress and control Black people. As evidenced by how a brand-new bike and freedom from credit card debt makes Nekani oblivious to the deaths happening around him, and of course the promise of more money and more freedom… only pulls him further into the quagmire. Making the reveal of what’s truly happening, as devastating as it gets since we see Nekani realize that he’s been played by this monster and his promises, and that’s brilliant and powerful commentary to inject into this tale. The kind that is handled in a perfect manner, and the show deserves serious credit for going this route.

Because that’s the kind of commentary that too many stories shy away from out of the fear that it might be too much or go too far. But it needs to be said and it needs to be put on display and at last, it’s present here in a bold and dynamic manner and well… it just goes to show how much work went into every single story in Horror Noire and the unique presentation of these two vignettes, reinforces the benefit of breaking this film up into three separate episodes for audiences to enjoy. So that all the pertinent commentary and observations on the human condition and our modern world can be properly absorbed and discussed by the audience and truly, it is wonderful to know that audiences everywhere will be able to revisit one of the finest horror films made in the last year… in a brand-new light. Until next time.

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