Amber BransonLake Mungo
With Halloween coming and no money in my budget right now to visit the theater for one of the new release horror films, I decided to give my local video store some business and rent a DVD.
After a trip all the way around, I returned to the "A"s and picked up one of the After Dark Horrorfest 4 movies. Most of this round of films seem to be slashers, but one looked to be more psychological: Lake Mungo.
"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." - from the IMDB page.
This is not a standard horror flick. In fact, it only barely touches the horror genre with a few elements that allow it to be classified as a ghost story. Mostly, it is a faux docudrama about dealing with the loss of a child. There are a couple of disturbing moments, one near the beginning and another near the end, but neither is likely to cause you to jump and scream (unless you're really, really wimpy, in which case you shouldn't be watching horror movies anyway. Go watch a RomCom and be quiet).
The movie is presented in the style of a documentary, and adheres strictly to the format. It is very well done and more believable than either The Blair Witch Project or Paranormal Activity. Unfortunately, the verisimilitude means that the movie overall lacks spice and excitement. 89 minutes in length, it seemed to go on for a long time.
A remake is scheduled for next year, with the documentary style removed. However, the announcement was made in November 2008, and no further information beyond the writer of the remake seems to be available.
After a trip all the way around, I returned to the "A"s and picked up one of the After Dark Horrorfest 4 movies. Most of this round of films seem to be slashers, but one looked to be more psychological: Lake Mungo.
"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." - from the IMDB page.
This is not a standard horror flick. In fact, it only barely touches the horror genre with a few elements that allow it to be classified as a ghost story. Mostly, it is a faux docudrama about dealing with the loss of a child. There are a couple of disturbing moments, one near the beginning and another near the end, but neither is likely to cause you to jump and scream (unless you're really, really wimpy, in which case you shouldn't be watching horror movies anyway. Go watch a RomCom and be quiet).
The movie is presented in the style of a documentary, and adheres strictly to the format. It is very well done and more believable than either The Blair Witch Project or Paranormal Activity. Unfortunately, the verisimilitude means that the movie overall lacks spice and excitement. 89 minutes in length, it seemed to go on for a long time.
A remake is scheduled for next year, with the documentary style removed. However, the announcement was made in November 2008, and no further information beyond the writer of the remake seems to be available.
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