'Caddo Lake' Reviews: "O'Brien guides us through a story of family grief and loss with a soft chivalry that amplifies everything this subtle story has going for it"

         On October 10, 2024, Max released 'Caddo Lake', which has received predominantly positive reviews, currently holding at 70% on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of this writing. In the drama, "When an 8-year-old girl mysteriously vanishes, a series of past deaths and disappearances start to link together, forever altering a broken family's history." The ensemble cast includes Eliza Scanlen, Dylan O'Brien, Eric Lange, and Lauren Ambrose. Read the full review round-up below.

Photo by Courtesy of Max

        Alicia Gilstorf of Cool Girl Critiques notes, "This twisted M. Night Shyamalan-produced mystery thrives in the presence of its lead. O'Brien guides us through a story of family grief and loss with a soft chivalry that amplifies everything this subtle story has going for it." Adding, "Eliza Scanlen is a phenomenal, scene-stealing beast who helps carry the other half of this story with an incredibly compelling emotional drive. With such little dialogue or conflict to work with, she conveys so much of the developments in her expression, which is as impressive as it is haunting. She earns the gutwrenching final line of this film with a conviction that is easily the scariest element of the plot."

       Travis Hopson of Punch Drunk Critics says, This is unlike any role Scanlen has played before as the Australian actress puts on a believable accent and zips around the water confidently in a rickety motorboat. O’Brien, who is having a heck of a year between this film and Saturday Night, has progressed so far beyond his Teen Wolf and even his Maze Runner performances.  The bulk of the emotional weight is carried by O’Brien and Scanlen, whose characters are weighed down by years of resentment, guilt, and anger. These are tough performances and Caddo Lake wouldn’t be as good with lesser stars. Caddo Lake‘s biggest hurdle is that it’s tough to keep track of what’s going on. Without giving too much away, there are deep connections between the people of this town and some of the relationships are complicated.  The jumpy narrative keeps you always back-footed as to what is going on, and I worry that viewers might give up in the first hour which can be a bit slow. I’m not an advocate for holding the audience’s hand or anything, but the film needed some kind of streamlined storytelling device. That said, once the puzzle pieces start to come together, they do so vigorously and in a way that’s satisfying, leaving ripples in the memory that will last after the credits have rolled. If Held and George continue coming up with inventive ways to tell familiar stories, they’re going to be a formidable duo for a long time."

        Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood Daily praises the film, stating, "M. Night Shyamalan certainly has been busy this year pushing out his signature brand of twisty thrillers. So far in 2024 we have had his daughter’s directorial effort, The Watchers, which he produced; the intriguing modest hit Trap, which stars another daughter and which he directed and produced; and now Caddo Lake, which is being heavily advertised as from “Producer M. Night Shyamalan.” Set for a streaming debut on Max starting Thursday rather than going theatrical like the rest of his feature output, the pic unmistakably fits right into his own filmography, even if he turned over writing and directing reins to the team of Celine Held and Logan George." Concluding, "Beware as this is where all the twists and turns come into play, the paranormal sci-fi elements of Held’s and George’s screenplay, and clearly the plot progression that intrigued Shyamalan enough to throw his money and production company Blinding Edge into making it. There are some false clues along the way, even a suggestion there are very sinister forces lurking in the lake, but it is far more complicated and, well, contrived than what meets the eye. Where it all comes to life is with Scanlen’s determination to get beneath the mystery with a belief this is much more than just about a missing 8-year-old.You do have to suspend disbelief here, even when some of it doesn’t appear to add up, but Held and George prove unquestionably to be a very promising and skilled filmmaking team, with sharp direction overcoming some of the less compelling aspects of their screenplay. And fortunately they have a dedicated cast led by Scanlen, who worked with Shyamalan in the even more convoluted 2021 film Old and here gives us a true rooting interest and anchor. O’Brien (Teen Wolf, The Maze Runner) gives it his all with an earnest performance that requires a tortured look for most of the running time. Ambrose is also quite fine here, as is young Falk and Lange, the latter with quite a tricky role to pull off. A real star player, though, is the Lowell A. Meyer, whose lush cinematography sets the scene beautifully."