A down on his luck screenwriter(Judd Nelson)becomes a serial killer in order to develop a character for a new script. He kidnaps young women and eventually drowns them in the lake near his cabin home. He dives daily to see the girls he has anchored in an underwater 'garden'. One girl(Hedy Burress)tries to help put an end to this sicko's particular deviant activity. Twisted and strong material for a made for TV presentation. The supporting cast includes: Michael Weatherly, Susan Gibney and G. Patrick Currie.

I do like Cabin by the Lake because the general storyline is actually pretty cool. Of course, it's a made-for-TV movie, so a lot of it truly isn't "that" plausible and some of the acting is a bit cheesy and over-dramatic. But I still like it (I think part of why I like it is because it takes me back to my senior year in high school!). The "writer acts out his story" thing has been done before, but not in this unique "garden" way. That part makes the movie intriguing. Still, parts of the movie seem corny because characters try to make silly jokes or whatever - I would have much rather had it be more serious and delete the silly stuff. What you really have to see is "Return to Cabin by the Lake" (the sequel). It's HILARIOUS because a fair amount of the movie must have been filmed with a basic video camera! Thus, part of the movie is high quality, part normal video camera. I can't take the second one seriously because of this, but it was still worth watching.

What was going through the directors head when he made this? Must have been "This will make everyone think twice." Because this movie defines the law of crime. No this isn't a movie to just pop into a VCR or DVD player and watch with your boyfriend. Because the movie is just plain crap. Nothing makes since. Oh a guy goes around killing ladies for fun and for a book idea. So what. What do you want to do when you watch this? Sleep, sleep and sleep. This movie is a sleeper. Nothing original at all. Even the sequel is horrible. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. Not even a child will understand this crappish movie.

My comments? Simple: I loved the movie Cabin by the Lake. This is a wonderful TV movie and a great way to spend a couple of hours. - Yes, the plot is a little unrealistic- a writer doing some "research" for his horror film by actually drowning women and then writing about it. But aren't movies supposed to be unrealistic? - I recommend that you watch Cabin by the Lake. Go ahead and give it a chance, you may be surprised. If you like it, then I definitely recommend that you watch the sequel Return to Cabin by the Lake, which I thought was even better than the first film.

I thought Cabin By The Lake was an excellent movie. I loved how Judd Nelson acted through the whole film, he did such a great job. I'm not saying that what his character was doing was okay, cause, really its not. But it kept me watching, it kept my eyes focused, he was never hurt, he never died no matter what he had to be put through, even when everyone thought he had "drowned" , I did too, until I found out he was alright.I loved how at the very end, it kept me interested at what he was going to be up to next. I'm not a fan of scary movies, I was floored when I watched this movie and found that it wasn't scary, from the reviews of this film, i was sure it was to be scary, but there wasn't a scene i found frightening.

really, i don't know why some were disappointed in this film. i happened to love it but usually if a critic says it sucks than everyone believes the critic. judd nelson's acting was terrific and he definitely played off that two sided character thing really well. and the relationship between him and mallory was also another strong point. it was like a hannibal/clarice relationship and at the end when it looks like stanley is going to drown himself you can really see the sympathy mallory feels for him. what's there not to like? maybe his annoying agent could make make the film better by just being cut from the film but it was good overall. go see it and don't believe the critics!

Easily one of the best movies ever. Judd Nelson has the perfect creepy guy personae for the serial killer in the movie. So the basic premise of the movie is, Judd Nelson plays a screenplay writer who is writing this movie about girls that are drowned and then he tends to the garden of dead girls. This movie is a psychological thriller, you never know what is going to happen next. They also allude to so much in it as well, for example he is talking to his agent and she is telling him to get rid of the girl, so he says, "Fine I'll drown the girl," so what does he do? He drowns the girl. There is a little bit of everything in this movie, I think Judd Nelson's finest work.

Saw the movie a few nights ago on the Sci-Fi network...Terrific and great actions in the movie. The Scenery was cool. Kind of makes you wonder about people in a way....I really enjoyed the movie and the actors and actresses really outdid themselves in a very convincing way. Thumbs up for this one.....really confirms my fear of water over my head now! LOL!

One of the better made for tv movies I've ever seen. Nelson gives a nice creepy performance. I found the story very interesting and different and the visuals were enough to make me squirm. I'm sure there are some who will complain about the very end of the film, but personally I like that sort of thing.:) I would have liked to have seen a few more of his "garden" getting collected, but with all the commercials they have to put in I know their time is limited. Since this is on tv, I think it is well worth the time to stop and watch. And I hope it comes to video, because I would like to add it to my collection.

This movie is great. I first saw it Aug 13, 2000, 5:00pm, and it was then that I first realized that I love this film. Since watching this movie three years ago, I have discovered my true passion, writting, and it was inspired by this film. True, it is a strange place to find inspiration, but something about it made me want to write for the rest of my life. The ending is somewhat reminecent of Psycho, the synister stare into the camera and I love it, it still sends chills down my spine when I see Judd Nelsons final stare. Unfourtunatly, the sequel was terribly written. They should have went with the idea of burring the girls alive for the sequel, which is perfectly forshadowed at the end of the first one, but unfourtunatly ignored.