Post by SmokeTNT on Apr 4, 2010 3:40:07 GMT -5
'Lake Mungo' is a faux-documentary chronicling the happenings surrounding a family after their 16 year old daughter has drowned. Although its a fake documentary, it doesn't try to pull any cheats like The Last Broadcast or other similar films, and its very well acted and set up.
At the onset you are told about the circumstances of the drowning and the grieving that followed, but soon after the story turns to strange happenings in the house and images of the drowned daughter showing up in photographs and video. At this point you think you pretty much know where the film is headed, then the story takes a sudden 180, but then another 180 soon after. Still, with all of the revelations the documentary style holds up as if it were an actual chronicling. I think the writer/director did an excellent job with this film. I don't want to give anything away, but there were several moments where the tension and creepiness levels were through the roof.
Although its much different than Paranormal Activity, there are many similarities with the 'footage' scenes, except in Lake Mungo these are understated and meant to be creepy instead of startling, with one exception being a cell phone video towards the end. Another device the movie uses and is introduced during the opening credits, is still photos, which play heavily into the story.
Like I said, I don't want to give anything away here, its probably best viewed going in cold, so this probably isn't much of a 'review', but I would say that anyone who has an active imagination and likes slow burning films that fill the viewer with a steady sense of unease should check this out. I watched this at night alone and kept thinking that I was seeing moving reflections on the TV from things behind me. It creeped me out.
Well, that's my $0.02, I give 'Lake Mungo' a 4/5. And keep watching during the credits, where you'll find some of the evidence that was thought to be one thing, ends up being something else.
At the onset you are told about the circumstances of the drowning and the grieving that followed, but soon after the story turns to strange happenings in the house and images of the drowned daughter showing up in photographs and video. At this point you think you pretty much know where the film is headed, then the story takes a sudden 180, but then another 180 soon after. Still, with all of the revelations the documentary style holds up as if it were an actual chronicling. I think the writer/director did an excellent job with this film. I don't want to give anything away, but there were several moments where the tension and creepiness levels were through the roof.
Although its much different than Paranormal Activity, there are many similarities with the 'footage' scenes, except in Lake Mungo these are understated and meant to be creepy instead of startling, with one exception being a cell phone video towards the end. Another device the movie uses and is introduced during the opening credits, is still photos, which play heavily into the story.
Like I said, I don't want to give anything away here, its probably best viewed going in cold, so this probably isn't much of a 'review', but I would say that anyone who has an active imagination and likes slow burning films that fill the viewer with a steady sense of unease should check this out. I watched this at night alone and kept thinking that I was seeing moving reflections on the TV from things behind me. It creeped me out.
Well, that's my $0.02, I give 'Lake Mungo' a 4/5. And keep watching during the credits, where you'll find some of the evidence that was thought to be one thing, ends up being something else.