Lake Mungo (2008) User Reviews (278)

Potential squandered

[jtindahouse · 6/10 · 12 July 2019]

I'm a big fan of Australian horror movies. I don't like a lot of things they do but horror is one of the few exceptions. 'Lake Mungo' was a very frustrating film for me. There was so much to like about, so much that it did well, and yet for every stride forward it took, it seemed to take two backwards. It was its own worst enemy. Unfortunately I have to go into some spoilers in order to explain the things I didn't like about the film.

First of all the twist about the photos being doctored by the brother. Why did it need to be there? What did it add to the film? All it did was deflate the well created tension to that point. I assume it was so they could hit you with the one-two punch later in the film that it was actually all real (what a remarkable coincidence!) but I didn't like that addition to the film at all.

The other thing that let me down was that twice the film set itself to take my breathe away and both times it struck out. The first time was when the neighbour was found to be in the house. That alone was truly unnerving and could have led down so many creepy roads. But instead it just turned out she was having an affair with the neighbours and that storyline went absolutely nowhere.

Then, late in the piece a plot element arrives where we learn something has happened to 'Alice' at 'Lake Mungo'. Now obviously considering they decided to name the film after this location it must be something pretty massive right? Well it was and it wasn't. It was arguably the biggest moment in the film, and yet it really wasn't enough to justify naming the movie after that I thought. It implied that what happened there was the be-all end-all. Maybe they just couldn't think of a title and decided to go with that, I'm not sure. But I feel that moment would have been a lot more powerful if the movie wasn't named after that location.

Don't think it's all negative though, there were actually a lot of very strong elements to the film. It was suitably creepy in spots, the endless photos were well created and kept you on edge and the big moment that happens at 'Lake Mungo' will stick with you for a while. I just can't help feeling it could have been something great.

Plodding

[jeroduptown · 5/10 · 6 April 2021]

The concept was interesting, but got dragged down by the interview-style telling. Alice's story only had interest through the peppering of "actual footage" that got thrown in here and there.

Less a horror story...more a mystery.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 12 June 2019]

"Lake Mungo" is an Australian film that is part horror and part mystery...with a stronger emphasis on the mystery aspect to the story. It begins with the Palmer family on an outing and their daughter, Alice, drowning in the reservoir. What follows is the family trying to make sense of this death and as they go through Alice's things, they begin to realize that there's far more to the story than simply her dying. She certainly was NOT a normal teen and I'll leave it to you to see how and why.

If you are looking to be scared, I doubt if this film will do it for you. But instead of cheap scares, the film manages to be both creepy and unique. Using a fake documentary look and style, it certainly is unique and keeps your attention.

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore...

[azathothpwiggins · 12 November 2021]

LAKE MUNGO is an exceptionally well-made "mockumentary" about family, loss, grief, and difficult secrets revealed. It also happens to be a fantastic ghost story / supernatural mystery.

The character of 16 year-old Alice Palmer (Talia Zucker), who apparently died in a swimming accident, is haunting and ominous. Even when unseen. So deeply has she affected her family, that they are compelled to -finally- see her for who / what she truly was.

Alice is more than a mere specter. She's a living memory, driving the Palmers to uncover the truth at all costs. The revelation of which is quite shocking, even by today's jaded standards.

If you prefer movies that creep over you gradually rather than jumps and jolts every ten seconds, then this should deliver what you need...

A movie that actually scared me

[arne-adam · 7/10 · 7 May 2010]

Well the movie itself has some flaws. It has some parts that is really unnecessary. But the allover story is really interesting.

It is one of the slowest horror/mystery movies I've seen, but i think that it benefits from it. The scares are mostly...not really scares, but they will get you goosebumps for sure. But you really have to stay the entire movie to get the entire thing. The end is what made it for me. People are comparing it to paranormal activity, and I get that, but the matter a fact is that these two movies are not very similar, the only thing really is that they use some home movie style footage.

Anyway, its a good movie if you like slow movies, and good scares. But its no movie theater material.

Beautiful, but ...

[begob · 7/10 · 30 May 2015]

Family reflects on the death of a child.

So much to praise. The facts of a daughter's drowning on an ordinary family outing to the lake are delivered through fast-edit mockumentary. It goes spooky with image manipulation, and wanders through speculation on what happened, until the sad conclusion.

This has the best interview-to-camera I've seen, and the pace is good, with excellent photography. Australia is stunning, and what's with that miniature Grand Canyon? Never seen that before.

But at about 12 mins it should have settled into showing the story, rather than telling it - 20 mins later I accepted that wasn't going to happen and the story wasn't a horror, but something more sensitive.

Not sure about the medium and baby-sitter themes - they seem like red-herrings in a reflection on the aftermath of suicide. And there was one problem in the splice of the drowned daughter's face with the face that visited her on the phone: they didn't match up. That was the crucial image, so the ambiguity was puzzling to me.

The music and sound were perfect, and the editing too, but it feels like something made by a cinematographer. Maybe a good comparison is Mr Jones (2013).

Overall, a subtle reflection on painful reality. But not a horror.

A well made low budget Australian horror/thriller

[eddie_baggins · 6/10 · 3 February 2016]

An extremely low budget and low key Australian horror done in the faux-documentary style that has now well and truly worn out its welcome, Lake Mungo is impressive in what it does with limited resources and its ambition is to be commended but a big problem with this now cult film is that it's sadly not very scary.

Whilst suitably creepy at times as Lake Mungo wears on towards it's slight 80 minute run time the films initial chilling set-up slowly descends into something that becomes unfortunately tiresome even though the film's final credits scenes provide some unnerving finishing moments.

While criticisms can be easily made of Lake Mungo's inability to capitalize on its promising cornerstones director Joel Anderson certainly must be commended for sticking to his low-budget guns and delivering a mock-doc that to the uninitiated may absolutely seem like a legitimate documentary! Using grainy phone footage, good use of talking heads and fake news reports, Anderson crafts a tale that actually feels real even if the story its telling becomes a little far-fetched and lacking. Telling the story of the sad demise of young Alice Palmer in this way allows Anderson to hide the films limitations in ways that don't take away from the films central premise and only some clunky delivery of dialogue really gives Lake Mungo's sleight of hand away.

One of the more impressive Australian horrors of recent times (although that's not entirely an amazing feat) and perhaps the best locally made example of a faux documentary yet produced (again not exactly tough competition), Lake Mungo has clearly in the years since its release found an appreciative audience that it failed to find upon initial runs these now many moons ago and you could do a lot worse than making Lake Mungo your horror fix over the slowly dying Paranormal Activity franchise or any other such higher profile wannabe.

3 buried cell phones out of 5

Drama dressed as a horror movie

[benjaminmcelroy · 4/10 · 15 April 2021]

With an idea like "girl dies in mysterious manner and kept secrets about her life, oh also her last name is palmer" I wanted to think I was going to get some twin peaks vibes at least a little bit from this film. Although yes asking some random movie to be like David Lynch is a high ask

Instead however you get this very slow paced film where almost every second feels like padding. I would suggest cutting it down to thirty minutes would fix this, but what do you cut? What's important enough to leave in the film?

My main complaint is nothing is elaborated on or explored in an interesting way. Very late into the film is where we discover the "secret life" of our dead girl (Alice) and also we find out yes Alice is a ghost (which that whole plotline with the brother faking the footage should have been cut in the screenplay stage). We find out that Alice had sexual relations with her neighbors and that appearently the husband of the pair of neighbors BROKE INTO THE HOUSE of the main cast and no one noticed? Also they appearently move and untraceable? Like there is no documents of them acquiring a new house? Did they flee the country? Did they get fake identities? We don't know!

Then we get this plotline of going to the title place Lake Mungo, which at first I thought was going to be some creepy weird place, where something went down. We even get cellphone footage from other characters that imply something happened to Alice. Well what happened to Alice is she met her future ghost? Or something? We never get a real explanation on what alice really saw or rather why she saw it. The film however treats this as the climax of the movie like the family found the big secret of the film, when this would be like the inciting incident of a regular movie.

The movie then ends on a photo of the family I presuming leaving the house, it zooms and we see alice in a window. Implying Alice is still haunting the house? Huh? The film seems to be more concerned with the family getting closure on their daughters death rather than exploring themes of supernatural. Which I think is bad if you are using supernatural elements. I think this movie should have been more like idk a fake murder documentary than a fake ghost one at least it would have made more sense and then you wouldn't have to explain the rules of ghosts in your universe. You could even still have scary cellphone footage at the end of you wanted.

I think this film is also really confused on a lot of metrics, mainly screenplay wise. The writer seems to think creating as many red herrings and cryptic lines of dialogue will make this film more suspenseful. When it just makes it more frustrating from a narrative perspective. For instance their is a scene with the grandmother of alice who says she never fully loved Alice's mother (June) and she thinks it might be the same with June and Alice's relationship. We never get an answer or resolution to that question, it is just there to throw you for a loop and maybe think June is like a suspect or something?

Anyway this film is acted pretty well except for like a couple characters but I guess you could just imagine the character is camera shy because this is a mockumentary film. The camera work was fine and the editing was okay. Sound was a little bit of issue, due to the lack of suspense they add a lot of white noise into this along with long lingering shots usually of a not very good photo of Ghosts Alice so overall this film isn't really worth it. I think some elements of the story are cool I just wish the film was less confused and also like a 30 minute short instead of it's actual runtime.

Lake Mungo succeeds at being not only a chilling ghost story, but a film about grief

[LoneWolfAndCub · 9/10 · 3 February 2010]

With all this hype about the good, yet overrated Paranormal Activity, Joel Anderson's debut film Lake Mungo lies forgotten. This is a total shame, seeing as this is much better, and way creepier. Lake Mungo really is a very simple film, it follows the Palmer family as they deal with the loss of Alice (their daughter/sister). It is filmed in a documentary style, in which the family/friends/work associates are interviewed by an unseen person, with pictures and video footage shown as well. Eventually we discover Alice had many secrets, and the family try to find out about them and if they had anything to do with her passing.

The plot does not sound enticing, in fact, it sounds rather plain, however, this is not case fortunately. The documentary style really suits the film, and the actors are incredible and almost seem like they are not acting at all. The scares spaced throughout are genuinely freaky, and really got under my skin. Anderson makes sure the atmosphere is kept dense throughout the whole film, making every minute feel ominous. However, Lake Mungo does not just focus on the horror, but also how the family deals with the grief, and what they are willing to believe and do to help each other and themselves. The scenes in between the supernatural images and occurrences focus on how each family member (and some friends) deal with all that happens, and it is done in a refreshingly realistic (not over-blown, sentimental, or dramatic) way. There are a few twists along the way, and the final scene is very well-done, and will stay with you for a long time. Do yourself a favour, go see this movie, support movies which are actually good and don't rely on cheap scares. Recently my awesome homeland have been releasing some damn good horror movies (see Wolf Creek, Rogue, Black Water, Dying Breed, Lucky Country) and Lake Mungo is one of the best.

4½/5

Watched this once many years ago... Still creeps me out to even think about.

[fellowshipofthering-976-769687 · 7/10 · 21 January 2017]

I don't consider myself a patient person, and slow movies lose my interest, however, while Lake Mungo was slow, something about it made it hard to look away. Maybe it was being able to relate to the Australian setting (as an Aussie myself), maybe it was my desperation in need of a horror-fix, I can't really pin-point it. It could be the investigative theme of the film, as it doesn't go overboard in it's presented techniques (no super high tech gadgets, government spies, etc), and thus makes it seem real- something achievable by the average person. It begins to feel personal.

The final hour-half hour of the film is where everything begins to piece itself together really well. Throughout the film you're constantly asking new questions (eg. "where did that person go"), and the end really makes the build up feel justified. It's a chilling feeling, still, and you might be a little on edge for the remainder of the day after watching Lake Mungo- but if you're a horror fan, this should be your cup of tea. It's not a fast paced, mega-action slasher, but it does give you the subtle feeling of uncertainty and vulnerability, which is admirable.

Don't believe the hype!

[darbyl · 1/10 · 9 January 2020]

I've heard and read many good things about this movie. After finally watching it, I think those people need to be smacked across the face. This is just a boring, plodding, and awful film. I'm the type who won't quit a movie once I've started it, no matter how bad it is. This one put me to the test. I kept waiting for something, anything, to happen. Some reviews on here are saying it's the greatest horror film of all time. Seriously?! It's not the least bit frightening, disturbing, or creepy. I think those people are masochists who are laughing at your pain after you sit through this dumpster fire, because they know it's one of the most boring films ever made.

A completely unexpected gem.

[lewiskendell · 9/10 · 16 April 2011]

Lake Mungo is an excellent documentary-style ghost story from Australia. It was quite different from what I expected. This isn't Paranormal Activity, despite the vaguely similar premise. It's primarily about the story of a family who has lost a loved one and can't let her go. This is much closer to a paranormal triller/supernatural drama than a horror movie. 

Recalled mainly through interviews, camera, and cell phone footage, Lake Mungo is about an Australian family named the Palmer's. Teenage daughter Alice is lost in a drowning accident while on a family outing in 2005. After her death, they still sense her presence in their home, and shadowy images of her begin to show up in photos. Revealing any more of the story than that would be a disservice. 

Kudos to the absolutely excellent acting from the relatively (at least, for this American) unknown cast. This is one of the more "real" feeling fiction documentaries that I've ever seen. This a lot of the reason Lake Mungo was so immersive to me. All the characters seemed like completely genuine people. This almost could have been a documentary that I stumbled upon while flipping through the channels. 

This is probably one of the creepiest movies I've seen since The Others. Very unsettling. Not a lot of big chills and shocks, but it slowly builds an unsettling sense of atmosphere and dread of the unnatural and unknown, along with an unexpected but welcome mystery element. The plot goes a lot of places that might not be expected. At it's heart, Lake Mungo is also a quite sad movie. It was easy for me to believe that these people had lost a beloved daughter, sister, and friend, long before her time. 

 If you're looking for a pure, jump out of your seat popcorn horror flick, this isn't it. I happen to think it's something more interesting than that, though. A movie that sets out to do something different, and does it very well. I loved it. I haven't been this pleasantly surprised by a movie since Triangle.

Good Acting, Light on Scares

[allmets-38552 · 6/10 · 23 November 2019]

The acting and directing in this film are tremendous and they really carry a script that doesn't really know where it wants to go.

Most of the twists are so unnecessary that they become monotonous. However, the final twist is what makes the film and it leaves you feeling thoughtful.

There is one real scare in the whole runtime, and if it doesn't make your skin crawl, there is really nothing else in the film that will.

Good style, excellent acting - very very boring

[freeholdarmstrong · 2/10 · 7 February 2014]

Interesting style of filming, just like a documentary but SO boring. I only watched to the end because of the reviews on here which I do not understand.

The story is weak, the twists are weak and it drags. It's like it is trying to be really clever but just failing. There is no element of surprise and no empathy for the characters. The acting is good though.

To be honest it is hard to write 10 lines about this film. If you have nothing better to do then give it a watch, other people seemed to enjoy it but it just seemed utterly pointless to me.

Sorry

excellent movie

[barbara-oiler · 27 August 2010]

As a fan of psychological horror films, I'm so glad to have stumbled across this little gem in my local rental store. The movie pulls you in, to the point where I did a google search to double check that it wasn't a real documentary. It helps a great deal that there are no big name actors, or over-the-top special effects. Alice's family and friends really come across as people who are not only struggling to get past their loss, but aren't sure how, or even if it's okay to. The flat affect of her parents, particularly,reminded me of real people I've encountered while working in a hospital, who are, in a lot of ways, still in shock long after the loss itself. If you like your horror exclusively blood and gore, or need big Hollywood special effects to enjoy a movie, you will undoubtedly be disappointed, but for anyone who appreciates films that slowly get under your skin, and stay with you long after the end credits, Lake Mungo is a must-see.

Surprisingly good

[Heislegend · 7/10 · 18 December 2009]

I'm not exactly sure what I expected going into this, but it wasn't really what I got. But that's kind of a good thing. I guess I was expecting some tired old ghost story. What I got was a bit of that, but with a original slant to it. People expecting jumpy thrills will probably be a bit disappointed, but I rather enjoyed the fact that there's a bit more substance to the story. I'll avoid going into the plot much as it would likely give away at least some of the story.

I'm not really sure why IMDb lists this as a horror first and foremost. Sure, it has some horror elements, but I wouldn't even call it a thriller (again, it's got some elements, but it doesn't feel like the meat of the story belongs in that genre) let alone a horror. To me it's almost more of a drama about losing a loved one unexpectedly, grieving, closure, and the effects of clinical depression. With a slightly supernatural twist all shot in a documentary style, of course.

Again, I'm not really sure what I expected. I think it was more of a bland ghost story, so I was pleasantly surprised by some of the twists and turns the movie takes. I'd definitely recommend it even if it's not exactly (in my mind, anyway) what IMDb says it is.

An excellent exploration into grief and loss

[UberNoodle · 7/10 · 8 February 2010]

I wasn't sure what to expect when I watched this film. I think it was completely misrepresented in its international promotion, as part of the 'Horror After Dark' festival last year. This 2007, and belatedly released, film is filmed in a documentary style about the Palmer family trying to deal with the tragic... loss of their daughter, Alice.

I didn't find the film frightening, but it was very atmospheric. Some scenes were quite foreboding. In retrospect, it is easy to see how this film could have been presented, had it been made in a typical straight forward way. The plot turns are all in keeping with genre expectations, but it was the choice to tell the story in an almost completely strict 'third person objective' view point that really had me engrossed.

The Hollowood remake is set for release next year and expect it to lack much of the honesty and soul of the original. No doubt the remake rights, as is the trend now, were part and parcel with distribution rights. This is the current tactic of the American film industry now - distribution with the condition of remake rights.

That makes for a very sad situation, and if it isn't protectionist, I don't know what is. The only reason to remake this film is to cash in on this year's Paranormal Activity. I would watch that as well. As for Lake Mungo - see it if you can. It is a very striking film, full of life for long after the credits have rolled (watch them all by the way). And don't watch any trailers.

Meh..

[sserenn · 6/10 · 7 February 2023]

This movie was alright, not great. I was not scared at all, but I will give credit where it's due...that one jump scare at the end was totally unexpected. Throughout the entire movie, there are stilled picture/video shots that increasingly zoom in but do not jump scare. That jump scare betrayed the viewer, as the viewer believed that they would be safe to let their guard down and not be on the edge of their seat covering their eyes, EXPECTING the jump scare. Well, at least they were after that.

Besides that, Lake Mungo felt boring and drawn out. I liked the idea of future Alice coming to present Alice in real life...an omen. I just feel there could have been more scenes with Alice before her death, not only people reminiscing about her.

I don't get the good reviews

[mrgums-87207 · 1/10 · 10 October 2019]

I literally have insomnia and I kept almost falling asleep during this film. I am a horror guru and the reviews said this was super scary and well done. It's probably one of the most boring "horror" films I've seen. Don't waste your time. I did and I want it back.

The best of the trendy Horror "Mockumentaries"

[s_twcramer · 9/10 · 21 December 2009]

After "Blair Witch Project" the scary "mocumentary" business went through the roof. Ten years later, the trend is still going strong, with at least a couple dozen films with the same concept of hand-held terror. "Lake Mungo" is by far the best since "Blair Witch". It accomplishes much more than this year's other big effort, "Paranormal Activity", which, I found rather tame at best. Played almost as a television news special, "Lake Mungo" is the most believable entry thus far. The downplayed, monotone performances of the actors is very effective. The naturalism they maintain only adds more edge and anxiety to the story. And speaking of story, unlike most of the other first person horror movies, "Lake Mungo" actually has a good one. It's an honest mystery, full of secrets and lies, wrapped around a paranormal thriller. It has enough twists, turns and enough surprises/scares to keep anyone's attention. Rarely have I experienced so many chills in one sitting. Don't wait for the Hollywood re-make already in the works, there's no need, the Australians got it right the first time (unlike you, Hollywood.) Don't miss one of the best horror films of 2009.

It might be better thought of if not viewed as a horror film.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 25 July 2012]

Lake Mungo is written and directed by Joel Anderson. It stars Talia Zucker, Rosie Traynor, David Pledger, Martin Sharpe, Steve Jodrell, Tamara Donnellan and Scott Terrill. Music is by Dai Paterson and cinematography by John Brawley. Film is a mockumetary that sees Sixteen-year-old Alice Palmer drown while swimming in local waters. Once her body is eventually found and identified by her father, the Palmer's bury her and try to move on. However, the family begin to experience a number of strange occurrences around their home. Is Alice trying to contact them? Calling in a psychic parapsychologist for help, the Palmer's begin to unravel the secrets of their daughter's life.

It's tricky one to unravel is this, in that I mean the feeling towards the film being decidedly mixed. Skimming through a number of reviews you can see that many tuned in to it expecting a boo jump horror movie, while there's also the inevitable hoards of scary film fans who see the word supernatural and think they are getting the new Exorcist. I'm not sure how the film was marketed but it certainly isn't a horror film, and it doesn't purport to be either. What unravels is a genuinely interesting story with supernatural overtones, in fact a meditation on grief, prophecy and nasty secrets that can cut a family in half. This is not to say that Lake Mungo does not contain spine tingling moments, it does, especially when grainy video footage and murky photographs come in to play, but ultimately it openly operates below the normal horror conventions. It even has a few surprises in the narrative as well, with one particular side-step really a bold move and making the film better for it.

It's not a film that is easy to recommend, if I'm to term it in one sentence then I would say it's an effective chiller with serious themes at work. The makers aren't trying to make you soil your underwear, they want to draw you in and make you feel uneasy as you wait for the mystery to be solved. In the main they achieve this, though you have to accept the amateurism that comes with film projects such as this. Forget comparisons with Paranormal Activity et al, that is folly, for this is a different beast all together and expectation of such will lead to crushing disappointment. 7/10

Snoozefest

[p_imdb-238-926380 · 1/10 · 7 July 2016]

This movie is the most boring one, I've seen for a while.

I had to watch it in three parts, spread over 3 days. Couldn't keep my eyes opened while watching this boredom. But due to some praise in the other reviews, I tried to watch it till the end, as apparently there will be a big pay off. Except there wasn't.

This mockumentary basically shows a bunch of people which get interviewed, and then other people get interviewed, then the next scene is the same people getting interviewed again. There is no real plot and the so called twists, aren't twists.

It's not scary at all, despite some people praising this film for being genuinely scary, it is absolutely not. You get to see some very blurry pictures with a ghost on it, that's it, that's the whole approach of this movie to scare you.

If you still believe the other good reviews, like I did, I've got a tip for you. If you watched 20 minutes of the movie, and judge this is too boring, than turn it off. It won't get better, that will be all you get. There will be no payoff.

But I must say, I can imagine that a 8 year old might be a little scared of this, so if you want to familiarise your little kids with the "horror" genre, this might be a good fit.

A movie that leaves a feeling.

[roelsemail · 9/10 · 31 August 2010]

For once, in a long time, I am actually pleased by a horror flick.

This movie is something completely different then the "nonsense horror" Hollywood is producing. It's not just a pile of dead bodies, a pool of blood and sadistic bad guy, as we see most nowadays. But it is recognisable, real and relatable. which makes it all the more scary.

In the average Hollywood horror flick, you are confronted with so many dead people and bloody situation that you get some sort of immunity to it.You cannot really transfer yourself in the situation of the lead character, because it's so overreacted and terrible, that you can't even imagine yourself being in that position.

This movie, however, felt real! And that was clearly the intention. You won't be wasting your time, by watching this wonderful Australian movie.

Where's Waldo... I mean Alice?

[cjs6547 · 7/10 · 5 May 2019]

Saw this after hearing praise on RedLetterMedia. This was touted as a jumpscare free horror movie, and I have serious complaints. That one jumpscare made me weak. I still haven't left the covers.

But on a serious note, the scares in the movie are so effective because it builds intrigue and gets you invested in the story. You want to see every piece of evidence and formulate your own theories. Of course girl-goes-missing or turns-up-dead stories usually have layers of dark societal ills that peel away, but thankfully, there's little of that here. This does in the end return to its supernatural roots, and does so in a very humble, convincing way. There's no real resolution or answer in the end because it's the most believable, rational conclusion in the supernatural universe given our limited understanding of conciousness after death.

I enjoyed this film because it made me participate in its photo and video scrutiny games, but the 'hidden figure' is actually some pixels you had no chance of seeing until you zoom in about 1500%. The movie kind of gets away with it because it's a decade old, and phones weren't equipped with good cameras back then. But the handheld video work is also extremely sloppy in most cases. I don't know if its just a tactic to make you work extra hard to spot things, or if teenagers really don't give two s***s about keeping the camera steady.

Overall it's something you can get completely roped in to, it's satisfying and well written, and will leave you with an eerie feeling for quite some time. What more could you want from horror?

Don't be fooled by overly enthusiastic reviews

[vladimirpolaski · 1/10 · 13 June 2018]

I've literally googled the entire web to see a single evidence of why this is so "scary", "unsettling", "creepy", etc. and all I've found so far are people making esoteric comments like "this was a beautiful tale about ...", "this kept me scared as hell.." etc.

I literally finished watching after 3 attempts. The first time I literally fell asleep (I never fell asleep during movies, this was the first time)

The second time I really got bored and switched to watching something else.

The third time I really decided to carve out 90 minutes of my life and really dedicate to finishing the film because I've been reading so many raving reviews online about it.

I really tried. All the way till the end. It was really difficult because the whole movie was very convoluted, slow paced (I don't think I've ever watched such a needlessly slow paced film before), and too many plot holes that made me unable to appreciate it.

For starters, even before we get to whether this is a "scary" movie or not, I can confidently say that it's a "badly directed" movie. Most of the plots the director throw at you are completely unrelated and convoluted and totally unnecessary. This makes it really hard for me to focus on the film, especially considering how slow the movie was. The rabid fans will call it "slow burn", but NO. I've watched tons of slow burn movies, and I appreciate a well made slow burn movie when I see one. This wasn't one. This was just slow, badly directed movie.

And as for the "scary", "unsettling", "creepy" part, I don't know what you guys are smoking, but there are way more scary unsettling and creepy movies out there. I love watching horror and thrillers. One of the most frequent responses I see online when somebody complains about this movie is a bunch of haters saying "huh you just have bad taste in horror, it's not the movie", "nah if you like THAT kind of 'horror' movies, just go watch freddie krueger", all of which are super pretentious and condescending.

I'm pretty confident that I've watched more horror and thrillers than most of these people because I really watch a lot. And I can say that THIS IS NOT SCARY.

Granted, there is ONE minute in the entire film where it can be considered creepy or scary, but that is all. And that one minute doesn't justify the boring, drawn-out, convoluted, badly-directed rest of the movie.

Nowadays there are so many movies and content to consume out there, and people really hate wasting time because time spent watching one movie could have been spent watching another better movie. And there are thousands of better horror movies out there than Lake Mungo. If you have enough time to waste, so much that you don't care, then go ahead and watch Lake Mungo just for the heck of it. But at least don't mislead other people into thinking maybe there is something there.

This is a badly directed, unscary, super slow, and convoluted movie. Sure you may like how it's a "beautiful story about grief", but if that's what you're looking for, go watch other drama movies that are way more beautiful, well-paced, well-directed.