SYNOPSICS
Lake Mungo (2008) is a English movie. Joel Anderson has directed this movie. Rosie Traynor,David Pledger,Martin Sharpe,Talia Zucker are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2008. Lake Mungo (2008) is considered one of the best Drama,Horror,Mystery,Thriller movie in India and around the world.
Sixteen-year-old ALICE PALMER drowns while swimming in the local dam. When her body is recovered and a verdict of accidental death returned, her grieving family buries her. The family then experiences a series of strange and inexplicable events centered in and around their home. Profoundly unsettled, the Palmers seek the help of psychic and parapsychologist, RAY KEMENY. Ray discovers that Alice led a secret, double life. A series of clues lead the family to Lake Mungo where Alice's secret past emerges. Lake Mungo is a mystery, a thriller and a ghost story.
Lake Mungo (2008) Trailers
Lake Mungo (2008) Reviews
Lake Mungo succeeds at being not only a chilling ghost story, but a film about grief
With all this hype about the good, yet overrated Paranormal Activity, Joel Anderson's debut film Lake Mungo lies forgotten. This is a total shame, seeing as this is much better, and way creepier. Lake Mungo really is a very simple film, it follows the Palmer family as they deal with the loss of Alice (their daughter/sister). It is filmed in a documentary style, in which the family/friends/work associates are interviewed by an unseen person, with pictures and video footage shown as well. Eventually we discover Alice had many secrets, and the family try to find out about them and if they had anything to do with her passing. The plot does not sound enticing, in fact, it sounds rather plain, however, this is not case fortunately. The documentary style really suits the film, and the actors are incredible and almost seem like they are not acting at all. The scares spaced throughout are genuinely freaky, and really got under my skin. Anderson makes sure the atmosphere is kept dense throughout the whole film, making every minute feel ominous. However, Lake Mungo does not just focus on the horror, but also how the family deals with the grief, and what they are willing to believe and do to help each other and themselves. The scenes in between the supernatural images and occurrences focus on how each family member (and some friends) deal with all that happens, and it is done in a refreshingly realistic (not over-blown, sentimental, or dramatic) way. There are a few twists along the way, and the final scene is very well-done, and will stay with you for a long time. Do yourself a favour, go see this movie, support movies which are actually good and don't rely on cheap scares. Recently my awesome homeland have been releasing some damn good horror movies (see Wolf Creek, Rogue, Black Water, Dying Breed, Lucky Country) and Lake Mungo is one of the best. 4½/5
excellent movie
As a fan of psychological horror films, I'm so glad to have stumbled across this little gem in my local rental store. The movie pulls you in, to the point where I did a google search to double check that it wasn't a real documentary. It helps a great deal that there are no big name actors, or over-the-top special effects. Alice's family and friends really come across as people who are not only struggling to get past their loss, but aren't sure how, or even if it's okay to. The flat affect of her parents, particularly,reminded me of real people I've encountered while working in a hospital, who are, in a lot of ways, still in shock long after the loss itself. If you like your horror exclusively blood and gore, or need big Hollywood special effects to enjoy a movie, you will undoubtedly be disappointed, but for anyone who appreciates films that slowly get under your skin, and stay with you long after the end credits, Lake Mungo is a must-see.
The best of the trendy Horror "Mockumentaries"
After "Blair Witch Project" the scary "mocumentary" business went through the roof. Ten years later, the trend is still going strong, with at least a couple dozen films with the same concept of hand-held terror. "Lake Mungo" is by far the best since "Blair Witch". It accomplishes much more than this year's other big effort, "Paranormal Activity", which, I found rather tame at best. Played almost as a television news special, "Lake Mungo" is the most believable entry thus far. The downplayed, monotone performances of the actors is very effective. The naturalism they maintain only adds more edge and anxiety to the story. And speaking of story, unlike most of the other first person horror movies, "Lake Mungo" actually has a good one. It's an honest mystery, full of secrets and lies, wrapped around a paranormal thriller. It has enough twists, turns and enough surprises/scares to keep anyone's attention. Rarely have I experienced so many chills in one sitting. Don't wait for the Hollywood re-make already in the works, there's no need, the Australians got it right the first time (unlike you, Hollywood.) Don't miss one of the best horror films of 2009.
A completely unexpected gem.
Lake Mungo is an excellent documentary-style ghost story from Australia. It was quite different from what I expected. This isn't Paranormal Activity, despite the vaguely similar premise. It's primarily about the story of a family who has lost a loved one and can't let her go. This is much closer to a paranormal triller/supernatural drama than a horror movie. Recalled mainly through interviews, camera, and cell phone footage, Lake Mungo is about an Australian family named the Palmer's. Teenage daughter Alice is lost in a drowning accident while on a family outing in 2005. After her death, they still sense her presence in their home, and shadowy images of her begin to show up in photos. Revealing any more of the story than that would be a disservice. Kudos to the absolutely excellent acting from the relatively (at least, for this American) unknown cast. This is one of the more "real" feeling fiction documentaries that I've ever seen. This a lot of the reason Lake Mungo was so immersive to me. All the characters seemed like completely genuine people. This almost could have been a documentary that I stumbled upon while flipping through the channels. This is probably one of the creepiest movies I've seen since The Others. Very unsettling. Not a lot of big chills and shocks, but it slowly builds an unsettling sense of atmosphere and dread of the unnatural and unknown, along with an unexpected but welcome mystery element. The plot goes a lot of places that might not be expected. At it's heart, Lake Mungo is also a quite sad movie. It was easy for me to believe that these people had lost a beloved daughter, sister, and friend, long before her time. If you're looking for a pure, jump out of your seat popcorn horror flick, this isn't it. I happen to think it's something more interesting than that, though. A movie that sets out to do something different, and does it very well. I loved it. I haven't been this pleasantly surprised by a movie since Triangle.
A movie that leaves a feeling.
For once, in a long time, I am actually pleased by a horror flick. This movie is something completely different then the "nonsense horror" Hollywood is producing. It's not just a pile of dead bodies, a pool of blood and sadistic bad guy, as we see most nowadays. But it is recognisable, real and relatable. which makes it all the more scary. In the average Hollywood horror flick, you are confronted with so many dead people and bloody situation that you get some sort of immunity to it.You cannot really transfer yourself in the situation of the lead character, because it's so overreacted and terrible, that you can't even imagine yourself being in that position. This movie, however, felt real! And that was clearly the intention. You won't be wasting your time, by watching this wonderful Australian movie.