Ghosts and hauntings are devices used in horror for good reason – they can be so versatile. There’s a reason multiple authors use them. Tucked deep into our psyches through folklore they are well known and instantly recognisable. But to really shine from the others, ghosts need to be unique with an unsettling story that will make people shudder.
Lake Mungo is a horror film that builds on that and more, using found film in the form of a fictional documentary to ratchet on the chills. Set in a country town in Australia, it begins after a teenager is pulled from a local lake. Dead! Her family initially grieves over this terrible tragedy and bonds over the shared trauma. That’s when her brother, an aspiring videographer notices weird things around the house. So naturally he sets cameras around the house. Because that’s what you do right? That’s when he discovers strange movements in the night and shadows that look strange.
As the family comes to grip with her death, they begin to learn more unsettling things. Using found film as a movie technique, the film uses interactions with community members to learn about the small town. Even a parapsychologist is brought in to examine the phenomena. Dread is built up skilfully in this film using the found film technique. It just shows that, if you use the right device for something – movie or game alike you can create unique terrors.
After some time, the family find a hidden cabinet. And they find something unspeakable. I won’t spoil the film, except that the family eventually make their way to the mysterious Lake Mungo. This film ends on a horrible, but thought provoking note that you’ve just got to see!
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