Good afternoon, House of Madness spirits:
Way back in 2008, I watched a highly anticipated film called "Lake Mungo", and while I did enjoy it, I was still left somewhat underwhelmed when everything was said and done. Fast forward to 2023, and you'll be hard-pressed not to find a top found footage horror list excluding said film (except for ours, check it out here). After so much time has passed, and my memory failing me, I decided to give it another chance to see if maybe I had made a mistake initially, and been unfair in my judgment. I am both happy and saddened with the result; I'm sad that I came to the same conclusion upon a second viewing, yet I'm happy that my horrometer still seems to work in the same way. Cheers to consistency!
"Lake Mungo" is basically a film about family grief, and how one family deals with it after their daughter Alice (Talia Zucker) first goes missing on a family trip to the beach, and soon is found drowned on Christmas Eve. While Alice's mother (Rosie Traynor) and father (David Pledger) give details to the camera on her death, her brother Mathew (Martin Sharpe) begins seeing things around their house, and begins recording and capturing eerie events of Alice seemingly returning from beyond the grave. While all this is happening, the family uncovers some unknown truths from Alice's past, and realizes she had a second life which they weren't privy to, and must delve deep into her secrets to get full closure on her death.
The film itself is remarkably well made, and the somber atmosphere is played out perfectly. As far as capturing the thoughts and feelings of a grieving family goes, the film excels and really hammers home the effect the writers were looking for. As for the horror elements, I found them to be extremely underwhelming, especially once we're introduced to Mathew's trickery, which I found to be a completely unnecessary tool and would have much preferred if the film had stuck its course, rather than veering off course in order to justify a side story in which I feel didn't need telling. For this reason my review stands where it did in 2008, where in essence I feel "Lake Mungo" is an excellent mood piece, but a very average horror film, and for that reason it remains off of any 'lists' I may have compiled in the past. It may seem strange that I'm willing to recommend this film, as it is well done, but just don't expect anything more than an atmospheric drama with a pinch of the heebie-jeebies.
Madness Meter: 6/10
NB
