Ever since The Blair Witch Project used documentary film techniques to scare the shit out of the world, weve been inundated by horror films trying to piggyback off its success. The only thing is that while Blair Witch was genuinely terrifying (admit it, you were scared) a lot of other mockumentaries have failed to deliver the goods for a variety of reasons, from pacing to lack of atmosphere. Thankfully, the Aussie-made Lake Mungo is not one of those films.
In December 2005, a 16-year-old girl called Alice accidentally drowns at a dam. Over the subsequent months, her family begin adjusting to her death when suddenly theyre disturbed by strange noises in the night and visions of their deceased daughter in photos and videos.
While it sounds like your average ghost yarn, Lake Mungo is actually one of the most genuinely creepy, eerie and unsettling films to have sprung up for years. Director Joel Anderson uses the realistic style to create an atmosphere of macabre dread that will stay with you long after the credits roll.
Its effectiveness can be attributed to a number of things. For one thing, the cast are totally convincing in their roles to the point that its easy to forget that its a work of fiction. The ambience meanwhile is really built up by the superb score that starts up whenever were introduced to a new photo and ends by juddering down your spine. Couple the music with the tendency to slowly zoom in on these disturbingly creepy images of Alice and youre suddenly immersed in an atmosphere of dread and foreboding. Its seriously scary stuff and not a film to watch alone at night. Think Paranormal Activity was scary? Well Lake Mungo delivers more intense scares with a tool thats rarely used nowadays subtlety.
Sadly, there are no extras on the disc. However, considering how effective the film is, its probably better that theres nothing there to shatter the illusion.
Overall Verdict: A tense, nerve shredding slice of Australian horror that makes Paranormal Activity look like a Disney. Watch it before the remake comes out.
Special Features:
None
Reviewer: Jordan Brown