(2008) *****
While picnicking with her parents and younger brother, 16-year old Alice Palmer drowns in a lake. Following her funeral the Palmers' attempt to resume their lives as they grieve this terrible loss. Soon after they begin experiencing unsettling events in their home including purported Alice sightings. Alice’s brother, an amateur photographer, is startled when he discovers an image of Alice in the background of one of his recent photographs. After he sets up his video camera one night and captures a few seconds of Alice walking into her bedroom, the Palmer family becomes convinced that she is still alive. An exhumation of the body quells their optimism however when DNA tests prove conclusively that she is dead. Is Alice trying to communicate from beyond the grave? As the family learns more and more about their deceased love one they begin to realize that they really did not know her at all.
Lake Mungo is the kind of “documentary” you might see if you watched an episode of Dateline NBC. The feeling of authenticity is what makes it is so effective. Zombie attacks, serial killers, jump scares, and vengeful ghosts no longer do it for me. I am not easily startled have been desensitized to all the tricks of the horror movie trade. I have watched many horror movies and very few have been able to tap into the fear center of my brain. Both JUON and The Ring did so a decade ago and there have been a few others along the way I’m sure. I am pleased to report that Lake Mungo is a contender for one of the eeriest, most unsettling films I have ever seen. I find myself still thinking about it and I have been unable to shake the insufferable feelings of dread and sorrow the story induces. It is difficult, almost impossible to convey why the story is so chilling. Everyone ponders their own death from time to time. This film somehow manages to capture our worries about mortality and use them as the driving force behind the story.
In Lake Mungo we literally look fear in the face. The story works because it feels genuine due to the convincing documentary structure (this is not a “found footage” movie, by the way). More than once I had to remind myself that this was pure fiction and not a real family. I watched this alone in the dark and by time the closing credits rolled I didn’t want to leave my chair. The gurgling noises my refrigerator occasionally makes became a ghost in my mind. The furnace kicking off deep in my basement was surely death coming for me. Lake Mungo is the opposite of films like Final Destination. Rather than loud, in-your-face, gory silly stuff, the film gets under your skin in an insidious manner until you realize that you have been holding your breath. I can’t underscore how effective this movie is in delivering the chills. Once again Australia is kicking horror ass. Engaging and atmospheric with many twists along the way, Lake Mungo is easily one of the most compelling and suspenseful films I have seen in a long time. 93% on Rotten Tomatoes! Stream it on Netflix.
