As a colorful folklore lecture and some engaging First Nation history, this documentary is a functional bit of storytelling. But to expect to see a creepy lake creature like the one on the poster, is to be disappointed.

First the good news: the deep lake creature known as Ogopogo makes his home (or not) in a stunningly gorgeous lake that I’d never heard of before. Western Canada’s Lake Okanagan is its own character here and, luckily for the documentarians on a budget, is breathtaking every time the action cuts to it.

More than 80 miles long and at least hundreds of feet deep, the mythical sea creature has been said to haunt its dark waters for generations. But like the Loch Ness monster or Big Foot, there is scant, in focus, irrefutable evidence that it exists anywhere outside the imaginations of the loyal cryptid crew.

?So why is it called Cursed Waters? I only ask because the on- camera experts all agree that the monster is a benevolent creature with no history of having hurt any humans. Not even a legend of such.

The narration and writing by Heather Moser are crisp and direct, and the photography, outside the tight shots of talking heads, is well-shot. But this feels more like a film you get to watch during class in school. Alas, Ogopogo doesn’t make a satisfactory appearance.

Cursed Waters: Creature of Lake Okanagan is now available on Amazon Prime Video. A Blu-ray (SRP $19.99) and DVD (SRP ($14.99) will be available exclusively from the Small Town Monsters shop.