Last year was a busy time for me. I was (still am) adjusting to a new job, representing the biggest change in my professional career. My fourth child was born in February, and shortly thereafter we had a flood in my kitchen, which ruined my flooring. It was around this time that I was in the middle of a little horror renaissance, and I discovered The Lake of the Dead by Andre Bjerke. Once again, we have Valancourt Books to thank for bringing this work out of relative obscurity.
I say ‘relative’ because, published as De dødes tjern in 1942, The Lake of the Dead came to be regarded as the Number #1 Norwegian crime novel of all time. De dødes tjern made another splash when it was adapted into film in 1958 and became one of Norway’s most highly regarded films. I read the book and watched the movie for the first time early last year and liked them so much that I want to experience them again soon.
In Lake of the Dead, author Bjørn Werner rented a cabin in the woods to finish his book. The cabin and the lake next to it are infamous for being the site where a man beheaded his wife and her lover, then drowned himself. When Bjørn disappears without a word, his friends come to the cabin to find him, fearing that he succumbed to the same madness that afflicted the murderer. Among the friends is Kai Bugge, a psychiatrist who believes that there is a rational explanation to Bjørn’s disappearance, Harald Gran, who believes it is a case of murder, and Gabriel Mørk, an occultist who believes that there is a supernatural reason for the strange happenings in the woods. Yes, it is a crime story, but it is of the dark suspense variety and makes itself at home on the horror reader’s bookshelf with ease. Overall, it was a great mystery.
The movie was a faithful adaptation, but it enhances the experience of the book because both are deeply atmospheric. The overall clarity of the black and white picture combined with the effective use of light and shadow make this an ideal creeper. The gothic film was pretty much dead at this time in the United States, but in Europe it would eventually make a resurgence thanks to the likes of Mario Bava. De dødes tjern might be considered an early entry in this wave of filmmaking. It is also notable because Bjerke played one of the main characters.
The Lake of the Dead only made its first appearance in English in 2022 and so Valancourt is breaking new ground by introducing Bjerke’s work to a wider audience. I’m hoping to see more of Bjerke’s work in the future. It looks like his character, Kai Bugge, was in a short series of novels as the voice of reason who solves impossible crimes, so I’m hoping that The Lake of the Dead is getting the attention it deserves. The book is easily available online. To get a copy of the film De dødes tjern (with English subtitles) on dvd, go to sinistercinema.com, which is also a great place to find tons of horror movies.
Written by Nick Montelongo
I say ‘relative’ because, published as De dødes tjern in 1942, The Lake of the Dead came to be regarded as the Number #1 Norwegian crime novel of all time. De dødes tjern made another splash when it was adapted into film in 1958 and became one of Norway’s most highly regarded films. I read the book and watched the movie for the first time early last year and liked them so much that I want to experience them again soon. In Lake of the Dead, author Bjørn Werner rented a cabin in the woods to finish his book. The cabin and the lake next to it are infamous for being the site where a man beheaded his wife and her lover, then drowned himself. When Bjørn disappears without a word, his friends come to the cabin to find him, fearing that he succumbed to the same madness that afflicted the murderer. Among the friends is Kai Bugge, a psychiatrist who believes that there is a rational explanation to Bjørn’s disappearance, Harald Gran, who believes it is a case of murder, and Gabriel Mørk, an occultist who believes that there is a supernatural reason for the strange happenings in the woods. Yes, it is a crime story, but it is of the dark suspense variety and makes itself at home on the horror reader’s bookshelf with ease. Overall, it was a great mystery.
The movie was a faithful adaptation, but it enhances the experience of the book because both are deeply atmospheric. The overall clarity of the black and white picture combined with the effective use of light and shadow make this an ideal creeper. The gothic film was pretty much dead at this time in the United States, but in Europe it would eventually make a resurgence thanks to the likes of Mario Bava. De dødes tjern might be considered an early entry in this wave of filmmaking. It is also notable because Bjerke played one of the main characters.
The Lake of the Dead only made its first appearance in English in 2022 and so Valancourt is breaking new ground by introducing Bjerke’s work to a wider audience. I’m hoping to see more of Bjerke’s work in the future. It looks like his character, Kai Bugge, was in a short series of novels as the voice of reason who solves impossible crimes, so I’m hoping that The Lake of the Dead is getting the attention it deserves. The book is easily available online. To get a copy of the film De dødes tjern (with English subtitles) on dvd, go to sinistercinema.com, which is also a great place to find tons of horror movies.
Written by Nick Montelongo
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