Lake Mungo Review

• 21st Jun 2011

The advance notice on Lake Mungo makes you think this is essentially the Australian version of Paranormal Activity. The first few scenes do actually move towards such a scenario as a family out at a reservoir end up losing their daughter in the water. Weeks later the body is found and then things start to go bump in the night at the house. So far so good. Then you settle in and wait for spooky happenings to kick off in earnest.

The film is presented as a mockumentary of actual events so the narrative cuts between archive footage, real life interviews and new happenings recorded by the son. Personally I really enjoyed Paranormal Activity for all its nonsense and the thought of more of the same set in Australia was appealing. Lake Mungo has sacrificed cheap scares for a higher concept of creating a subtle reality. Sadly this leads to a film that begins to drag after about 30 minutes and then proceeds to become even more tiresome for the last hour.

The positives for the film come in terms of the cinematography by John Brawley which is simply stunning. Australian classic Wolf Creek had the same brilliance in terms of its photography which perfectly undercut the extreme horror. The performances as well are first rate as all the ‘real’ people are wholly believable as the family and friends as well as the somewhat kooky psychic Ray. The editing and assembly of the different types of footage are also masterfully done and you can’t question the artistry of director Joel Andesron and his team.

Had they decided to make this a 30-minute short film it would have been a hundred times more effective. The film is in no way a horror film as some press releases have claimed; to be honest it barely registers as a paranormal thriller. The less-is-more approach doesn’t pay off for Lake Mungo as the less provided in terms of a gripping story is a fundamental flaw. There are strong echoes of Twin Peaks as the dead girl had a secret life that’s slowly revealed over the course of the film. Unlike Lynch’s masterpiece series though there’s a lack of insane content in Lake Mungo that ultimately means it’s a disappointment.

The film has received much positive attention leading to an American remake in the pipeline for a 2012 release.  Sadly for the fans of this version it’s the people who butchered The Ring that’ll be helming the project. Lake Mungo isn’t a bad film if you consider the technical aspects on display as they’re brilliantly executed. Beyond that though the film is just plain dull and long overstays its welcome. By the end I was desperate to see someone being dragged out of bed by an invisible poltergeist.

Aled Jones