Lake Mungo (2008)

Strange things start happening after a girl is found drowned in a lake.

Review

Lake Mungo falls into the found footage category, but with the documentary vibe. So, less Blair Witch - which is a good thing in my opinion. Written and directed by Joel Anderson (feature debut) the film centers around a family who lost their daughter in what appears at first to be a heartbreaking accident, and then later on steps into the strange, and perhaps paranormal. Not only is the film twisty, turny, the build up is griping, the sting in the tail is clever, and overall the film works. It's a slow paced look at what happens to the family as they begin to believe that she is returning to them from beyond the grave. But all is not as it seems.

The secret to Lake Mungo, in both story telling and conclusion is subversion. I won't say more.

The acting is believable. It's nice to have a found footage movie where the cast isn't annoying. There's little experience in the cast, but it works really well. The family come across as natural, real people.

The build in the film is great, and while there's no horror, gore, or FX, it's scary. Really scary. With outstanding ebbs and flows to the tension. The first twist drops the tension to the point of annoyance - you'll know what I mean when you see it (you have to see it) - the second will blow your mind and make you want to watch the film again, straight away.

Forget Blair Witch. This is a proper scary film.