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Poster for The China Lake Murders

The China Lake Murders

1990 · 97 min

A slow-burning small-town thriller that keeps you uneasy as a friendly stranger's mask slowly slips.

Directed by
Alan Metzger
Genres
Thriller, Mystery, Crime
Starring
Tom Skerritt, Nancy Everhard, Michael Parks
Tagline
Every year, Officer Donnelly goes to China Lake to unwind, do a little fishing... Kill a few people
Overview
A small town sheriff has his suspicions in a murder case which involves a rogue cop who goes on a murder spree.

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In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Directed by
Alan Metzger
Genres
Thriller, Mystery, Crime
Starring
Tom Skerritt, Nancy Everhard, Michael Parks
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • crime
  • deception
  • betrayal
  • violence
  • isolation
Places
  • small town
  • countryside
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • twist ending
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action3
Horror4
Humour2
Realism7
Romance1
Tension7
Darkness7
Complexity5
Emotional weight5

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Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
thriller, mystery, crime, tv movie
Directed by
Alan Metzger
Written by
Nevin Schreiner
Starring
Tom Skerritt, Nancy Everhard, Michael Parks, Lauren Tewes, Bill McKinney, Lonny Chapman, J.C. Quinn, David L. Crowley
Music
Dana Kaproff
Cinematography
Geoffrey Schaaf
Runtime
97 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English

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