The House Across the Lake (1954)

Why so much hype?

Memorable, crazy movie

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Self-described American "hack novelist" Alex Nicol (as Mark Kendrick) is living in England. Hoping to avoid women and alcohol in order to finish a book, Mr. Nicol rents a small bungalow outside of London. Across the lake from his residence, Nicol observes partying. Very quickly, he joins the celebration and gets drunk. If you're guessing a woman is up next, you're correct. Nicol surprisingly passes over pretty young Susan Stephen (as Andrea Forrest) and succumbs to the advances of her step-mother Hillary Brooke (as Carol). Her wealthy and unhealthy husband Sidney James (as Beverly Forrest) plus a pianist lover aren't enough for Ms. Brooke, apparently...This seems like "Double Indemnity" with a dash of "Sunset Boulevard". Director Ken Hughes adapted the screenplay from his own novel, which was undoubtedly more clearly drawn. Nicol and the setting work, and Mr. Hughes moves it quickly. The main characters' sexual relationships are not convincing, however. Throwing in a couple lines indicating Nichol had a brief affair with Ms. Brooke years ago might have helped us believe his attraction, and Ms. Stephen seems too desirable for her role. Most irritating, there is a character inappropriately held responsible for an act of murder, and we're not sure why this person simply doesn't state the facts before the story ends.**** The House Across the Lake (4/16/54) Ken Hughes ~ Alex Nicol, Hillary Brooke, Sidney James, Susan Stephen

"Heat Wave," or "The House Across the Lake" from 1954 is another Hammer Film with its typical set-up - told in flashback - and with a familiar plot - help me kill my husband and we'll be rich.Instead of one American, here we have two starring here, Alex Nicol and Hillary Brooke. Hillary Brooke actually sounds English - she took the accent on in order to differentiate herself from other blonds competing for roles. It worked, too - she had supporting roles in many top films in the '40s and later worked in television.Nicol plays Mark Kendrick, a writer trying to finish a book and get away from "slow gin and cheap blonds"; when he loans his launch to the people across the lake, he meets the wealthy Beverly Forrest (Sid James) and his promiscuous wife Carol (Brooke). He genuinely likes Beverly, but finds himself falling for Carol. I notice that several people on this site found Brooke irresistible. It's possible men saw something in her that I don't - just an opinion. She reminded me of Joan Fontaine in the '50s, the wealthy, attractive, older socialite. Anyway, he falls for her, and then it looks like her husband fell -- off a boat while the three of them were out for a ride.The script is well-written -- as Mark tells his story, he uses a lot of those hard-bitten detective terms such as the one above, giving an old story a little spice.One small thing -- when Carol meets him, she says, "oh, you're an American." Anyone who has been to Europe knows that unless you've got your passport in your hand, people normally ask if you're from Canada or the U.S. They can't tell, and Brooke is not playing an American in this film.Anyway, this is an entertaining film. The acting was good, though I can't say I was blown away by some of Brooke's acting.

Alex Nichol and Hillary Brooke were not exactly household names in Hollywood. This is not to say they were unsuccessful. No, they both had many TV and movie appearances to their credit. But they also never quite were leading man and leading lady material. And, like other second and third-tier actors at the time (such as Richard Basehart), they were lured to Europe for starring roles in lesser productions. "Heat Wave" is a lower-budgeted British thriller--and the Brits were happy to have some Americans in the leads as it would increase the marketability of the film. In other words, folks in the States might be more likely to book this in their theaters.Mark is sitting at a bar getting drunk when he's approached by someone. He seems to know who it is and buys that person a drink and begins telling his story. It seems he was home alone one evening working on his book when he got a phone call from the folks living across the lake. Although he doens't know them, he's invited to a party they are having. Once there, he sees the lady of the house is a hottie--but also a philandering woman. As for the husband, he's a whipped man and spends most of the evening playing pool with Mark and telling him his marital problems.Later in the film, the evil wife, Carol, begins making advances towards Mark. He's clearly turned on by her, but she is bad--and he resists her allure....for a while. Eventually, however, they begin seeing each other and Mark KNOWS it's wrong...but he can't stop. Carol promises he can have her if only her sickly husband was out of the way.Does this sound familiar? Well, if you love film noir, you probably recognize this as a reworking of the plot from the classic "Double Indemnity". It's not exactly the same...but darn close. While it lacks originality and is clearly derivative, it IS well acted and has a nice mood overall. Worth seeing even if a bit familiar.By the way, cheers to Miss Brooke. She not only played a great femme fatale, but you'd have thought she was British due to her accent. You'd have never guessed that she was American through and through.

An American writer (Alex Nicol), down on his luck, meets his rich neighbors who also live by the lake. He befriends the ailing husband (Sid James) and falls in love with the duplicitous wife (Hillary Brooke).Ken Hughes directed "The House Across the Lake" (with the irrelevant American title of "Heat Wave") from his own screenplay based on his own novel. I guess he is the only one to blame for the story's blatant rip-off of James M. Cain (particularly "The Postman Always Rings Twice" and "Double Indemnity"). But at least he rips off the best, which means this crime thriller is more engaging than most of the films included in VCI's "Hammer Noir" DVD collection.