Review of Lake Mungo (2009) by Johan S — 27 Jul 2011

6.1/10.

"Lake Mungo" is an ambitious film, and I wouldn't for a second tell anybody to steer clear of seeing it, but I feel as if its reach exceeds its grasp, perhaps only mildly. While this might be assuring to some; it will have the exact opposite effect on others. You might enjoy "Lake Mungo", and I won't deny that for the most part, I myself did. However, the film promises to deliver something new when it comes to the hand-held sub-genre of the horror film, and it just doesn't. I've seen too much of this before.

But that doesn't mean that "Lake Mungo" is a wasted experience. It has some scares, some spine-tingling moments, and even some thrills. But it has a story to tell as well; and it is one that didn't affect me as I wanted it to. The appeal of horror movies shot with not-too-pricy digital camcorders comes from the realism-feel. And "Lake Mungo" certainly delivers when it comes to that aspect, but my biggest issue with the film is that...well, that's all it does; and nothing genuinely "unique" beyond that.

A young lady goes missing while swimming at the local dam. She has drowned by the time her parents seek her out. She is buried; her family grieves in different ways. One form of grieving is dreaming frightening and fascinating encounters with their now-dead-family-member. Another form of such emotional release is setting up video cameras all 'round the house because the family members each feel that their daughter may still be amongst them.

The family consults a psychic named Ray. He's a kind man; although he may have some secrets that he's keeping from the family; just like the dead daughter. But you don't need to see the movie to know that there's a "big reveal" near the end. In fact, just look on the back of the DVD and the IMDB synopsis and you'll find such info. So I'm not spoiling too much for you.

The video footage that is recorded from the cameras overnight it sometimes eerie and creepy, and at other times, just-plain-silly. I like to experience new scares; and playing ominous and creepy music whilst closing in on a "hidden image" of a presumably dead person is nothing near a "new scare". The film often repeats its scares. But I still feel that most people will get what they want out of the experience when they watch it. When it comes to found-footage films, claiming to be "true stories", this one isn't great or even particularly good, but I admire its ability to have the same appeal as all the other films of its type. It was made with craft and skill; with a story that I can neither criticize nor praise.

And as for being a true story or not, let's just assume that it's all fake; because it most likely is. If my dead daughter was visiting me in the night, within the images from my digital-cameras, I wouldn't want to edit it and put it out in theaters; eventually submitting it to After Dark Horrorfest 4. But what found-footage; hand-held horror movie isn't fake? "Lake Mungo" is not a film at fault for its obscurity when it comes to the truth; this is merely how these movies are.

And they can't really be made otherwise. "Paranormal Activity" and "REC" are better examples of their sub-genre because they are truly scary films. Doors close and demons roar in "Paranormal Activity", while zombies linger, not too far from the heroes, in "REC". "Lake Mungo" is perhaps flawed because it lacks the feeling of truly being there; at the scene of such horror. The story is told in memory of the events, instead of just down-right exploiting them in the very moment. This is one thing I kind of liked and kind of hated. But in the end, I can't say there's much I do hate about "Lake Mungo", other than the fact that it's nothing more than competent, well-made entertainment, and that I'll soon easily forget it. But at least the ghosts in this film, unlike many of the ghosts of Hollywood horror movies, don't get in your face and yell "BOO"! Instead, they just stand there and quietly say it; like gentlemen.