- Emilia Clarke vs The FBI in ABOVE SUSPICION [Trailer]
- Emilia Clarke vs The FBI in ABOVE SUSPICION [Trailer]
- Ben Wheatley Returns with IN THE EARTH [Trailer]
- Ben Wheatley Returns with IN THE EARTH [Trailer]
- Josh Hartnett is Memorable in Drug Drama INHERIT THE VIPER [Review]
- Cube Meets Saw in MEANDER Trailer from Mathieu Turi
- EIFF 2019: ANIARA is a Deeply Haunting Sci-Fi Experience [Review]
- BERLINALE 2021: TIDES Comes After Hell [Trailer]
- EIFF 2019: ANIARA is a Deeply Haunting Sci-Fi Experience [Review]
- Darkstar Pictures Announces Free Online Film Festival!
- Re: Occupation, Australian Sci Fi movie
- Slice of Life, Blade Runner inspired short
- Is Snowpeircer a sequel to Willy Wonka?
- Re: Yesterday
- Re: Yesterday
- Yesterday
- Re: White Night (or where do I get my 30 + from now?)
- Re: White Night (or where do I get my 30 + from now?)
- Re: White Night (or where do I get my 30 + from now?)
- Re: White Night (or where do I get my 30 + from now?)
- Don't Mess With the SCAVENGER [Trailer]
- BERLINALE 2021: TIDES Comes After Hell [Trailer]
- LUNATIQUE Director Returns with WASTELAND 3 Promo [Short Film]
- A Comet Destoys Earth in GREENLAND Trailer
- Interactive WAR OF THE WORLDS Adaptation Out Now!
- 8K Trailer for Train to Busan Sequel PENINSULA Drops Hard!
- Making a Bomb Shelter in a Funhouse is a Bad Idea in IMPACT EVENT [Trailer]
- Retro Slave: FOX's Post-Apocalyptic Sitcom WOOPS!
- TRAIN TO BUSAN Sequel PENINSULA Gets a Teaser Trailer
- New on Blu-ray and DVD for March 11, 2020
- The Apocalypse Kills Women in ONLY [Trailer]
- SATOR is a Welcome Addition to the Folk Horror Canon [Review]
- Women in Horror Month: NEAR DARK
- SOUTHLAND TALES: The Cannes Cut [Review]
- A Woman's Mind Unravels in BIGHT HILL ROAD [Review]
- TIFF 2020: Vanlife Gets a Reality Check in NOMADLAND [Review]
- TIFF 2020: APPLES, THE WAY I SEE IT, PIECES OF A WOMAN & ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI [Capsule Reviews]
- TIFF 2020: The Truth Tellers Return with THE NEW CORPORATION: THE UNFORTUNATELY NECESSARY SEQUEL [Review]
- TIFF 2020: NEW ORDER is Brutal, Violent & a Must-See [Review]
- TIFF 2020: ENEMIES OF THE STATE, Or Are They? [Review]
- TIFF 2020: HOLLER Explores Life in a Dying Town [Review]
- Split Personality Thriller MINOR PREMISE Coming Soon [Trailer]
- Who Hunts Who in HUNTER HUNTER? [Trailer]
- SKYLINES Is Coming! [Poster Premiere]
- Enter for Your Chance to Win a Blu-Ray Copy of 2067 [Contest]
- Saskatoon Fantastic Film Festival Returns with In-Person Event [Line Up]
- Family Drama & Creature Feature. WHAT LIES BELOW Brings Both? [Trailer]
- LUNATIQUE Director Returns with WASTELAND 3 Promo [Short Film]
- Producer Adrienne Biddle on Horror, Working with Bryan Bertino & Their Latest THE DARK AND THE WICKED [Interview]
- Joe Manganiello is a Washed Up Superhero in ARCHENEMY [Trailer]
- Nightstream Horror Festival Launches Next Week [Lineup]
- 2067 Director Talks Inspiration, Environment & Time Travel [Interview]
- THE STRANGERS Director Returns with THE DARK AND THE WICKED [Trailer]
- Michael Shannon is Crime Boss in ECHO BOOMERS [Trailer]
- Hair Extensions Get Horrific in BAD HAIR [Trailer]
- TIFF 2020: Vanlife Gets a Reality Check in NOMADLAND [Review]
- VIFF 2020: Sobriety, Reintegration & Telekinesis Come Together in THE CURSE OF WILLOW SONG [Interview]
- VIFF 2020: Revenge Thriller Re-Examined in VIOLATION [Interview]
- VIFF2020: Director Loretta Todd on the Making of Her Debut Feature MONKEY BEACH [Interview]
- TIFF 2020: APPLES, THE WAY I SEE IT, PIECES OF A WOMAN & ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI [Capsule Reviews]
- TIFF 2020: The Truth Tellers Return with THE NEW CORPORATION: THE UNFORTUNATELY NECESSARY SEQUEL [Review]
Jack In
Latest Comments
Latest Forum Posts
PA News
Latest Reviews
Older News
Crew
Marina Antunes
Editor in Chief
Vancouver, British Columbia
Christopher Webster
Managing Editor
Edmonton, Alberta
DN aka quietearth
Founder / Asst. Managing Editor
Denver, Colorado
Simon Read
UK Correspondent
Edinburgh, Scotland
Rick McGrath
Toronto Correspondent
Toronto, Ontario
Manuel de Layet
France Correspondent
Paris, France
rochefort
Austin Correspondent
Austin, Texas
Daniel Olmos
Corrispondente in Italia
Italy
Griffith Maloney aka Griffith Maloney
New York Correspondent
New York, NY
Stephanie O
Floating Correspondent
Quiet Earth Bunker
Jason Widgington
Montreal Correspondent
Montreal, Quebec
Carlos Prime
Austin Correspondent
Austin, TX







Year: 2008
Directors: Joel Anderson
Writers: Joel Anderson
IMDB: link
Trailer: link
Review by: agentorange
Rating: 8.2 out of 10
[Editor's Note: Lake Mungo just had its North American premiere at SXSW]
Lake Mungo is yet another extremely well made Australian film that transcends genre and totally blew me away. It's a mystery / ghost story / horror film told in a documentary style that doesn't need to rely on gimmicks to get under your skin. It just tells a compelling and totally plausible story full of unexpected plot twists and enough unexplained phenomena to keep you guessing.
It took me a while to realize it but Lake Mungo is actually a lot like Twin Peaks if Lynch had made his supernatural murder mystery tv series as a documentary. Not exactly of course, but Lynch's Peaks was obviously a major influence on the project. I mean, director Joel Anderson not only gave his victim the surname of "Palmer" (as in Laura Palmer), but the film is about how the drowning death of a teenage girl unearths many of her secrets and questions about of the very nature of the universe. So if you're a Twin Peaks fan, it's safe to say you'll like this film.
Lake Mungo is a much more intimate tale than Twin Peaks though. It's primarily about just the Palmer family and tells the story of strange events that happened to them after the tragic death of their daughter. Even after her death, they feel the presence of Alice in the house and become increasingly convinced that she's still with them. They begin to see her specter in photographs and in the background of video taped footage. They start setting up cameras in the house and the more footage that is examined, the more secrets get revealed, not all of them supernatural. They soon discover that young Alice Palmer had secrets and may have even had a brush with the supernatural months before her death.
The story is told using interviews, news B-roll footage, still photographs, and found footage a la Blair Witch and is done so well that I guarantee there will be people who catch this on late night tv one night and think it's a true story. All the actors are completely convincing and very natural.
But the real props need to go out to director and writer Joel Anderson who, despite the documentary aspects, meticulously molds the film's mysteries in a classic three act narrative style which keeps the tension constantly building.
Lake Mungo is also a powerful drama though. It's a film about loss and the ways families deal with grief so it'll stay with you long after the mysteries are solved.
The film is already in line for a remake of sorts scheduled for 2011. I say "of sorts" because we've just been told by Vertigo Entertainment that the film will be a narrative retelling of the events, not another faux documentary. Making a film about the fictitious events that take place in a faux documentary might actually be a first in film history. Joel Anderson is attached to direct the American version so we have every reason to believe this "remake" will be respectful to this original version.
My advice to you is to keep an eye out for this original version of Lake Mungo and watch it before the American one comes out so as to enhance the total experience.








Erin (12 years ago) Reply
i thought this film was done so well. i believed it was a doco right up until i read the credits! i dont know if the u.s. version will be as good but i am excited to see how it turns out.

Anonymous (11 years ago) Reply
Unbelievable! I thought it was completely true until i walked out of the cinema and someone told me that it is a faux documentary. Absolutely brilliant!

Sebastian P (11 years ago) Reply
Joel Anderson and his producer held a lecture type thing at Melbourne RMIT a week ago, talking about how they went making this film. We saw several snippets and they looked amazing. i'm so glad it was shot on film, the quality looks much higher than the budget they had to work with. Good luck selling the movie guys!

mark (11 years ago) Reply
Well disciplined, slowly revealing, and humanly emotive, this film carries subtleties that mask any betrayal to previous films, creating a gripping film in itself.

Steve Jensen (10 years ago) Reply
This film has far more 'depth' than many people realise - I would even question that it's 'all about grief', even though Joel Anderson himself has stated this. An astonishing film, unforgettable...

JACKIE (10 years ago) Reply
Unreal, I was a true beliver, told every body I new about this poor girls struggle and the familys desperation. Could watch it again and again.

jackie (9 years ago) Reply
wow i really thought it was fareal it was truly chilling!

anon (9 years ago) Reply
Wow. I just finished watching the film, and have every light on in my house. I was 100% convinced and started researching straight away. Now i know it isn't real, but still can not shake off this horrible feeling i have. Brilliant movie though. I am so relieved.