Lake Mungo screen
Lake Mungo is an interesting take on both the documentary and the horror genre. It is difficult to explain this film without spoilers, so I copied the synopsis on the film’s IMDB.com page to point I thought necessary:
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.
More than a straight horror story, this film sympathetically explores a family’s grief in the loss of a daughter and a sister. Young Alice Palmer’s parents and brother are all dealing with her death in different, often emotionally crippling ways. Her re-emergence only heightens the family’s despair. It is through this “re-emergence” the film really starts getting its hands dirty, systematically scaring the hell out of me, and earning its acceptance into last year’s After Dark Horrorfest.
Lake Mungo After Dark Horrorfest 4
This is a documentary, and I will leave its authenticity to you, but I really feel the director’s choice to tell this story this way was genius. Through archived news footage, family video recordings, cell-phone videos, and one-on-one interviews with Alice Palmer’s family and friends, I was able to let go of any doubt or questions I had and just go along for the ride.
Lake Mungo is on Netflix Watch Instantly, and like Eclipse, a film I discussed earlier, it has absolutely horrible cover-art. The cover for this film not only has zero relation to the story, it also does nothing to spike my interest. So, do not judge this Australian horror film by its cover, because you may miss out on a entertaining experience.