LAKE MUNGO (2008)
Label: Second Sight Films
Region Code: B
Rating: Cert. 15
Duration: 87 Minutes
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio: English DTS-HA MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Director: Joel Anderson
Cast: Rosie Traynor, David Pledger, Martin Sharpe, Talia Zucker
In the aftermath of 16-year-old Alice Palmer (Talia Zucker) drowning at the the local dam her still-grieving family begins to experience a series of strange events. Her brother Mathew (Martin Sharpe) captures what appears to be images of his sister Alice's ghost haunting the home, evidenced by both in photographic and video evidence. Unable to explain the eerie sightings the distraught mother June (Rosie Traynor) seeks the consultation of local radio-host/psychic Ray Kemeny (Steve Jodrell), who is also mystified by the sightings.
Things come to light that not only cast doubt on Mathews photographic evidence but also his motivations. The family also discover a sex-tape that sheds light on a side of the late-teen that they never new about, further deepening the mystery and compounding their unsettlef grief. Eventually her boyfriend reveals a phone shot video of the teen from a trip to Lake Mingo wherein the teen encountered something disturbing, the footage showing her in a panicked state, burying her cellphone beneath a tree. When the parents venture to Lake Mungo to recover the phone what they find proves to be more unsettling than anything they could have imagined.
Shot to mimic a documentary the film is extremely well-executed with the usage of Stills, home video and interview footage. The acting and flow feel natural and authentic, so much so that I put this on with my wife, who is not a horror fan, but a ravenous devourer of true-crime docu-series. I told her it was a doc about a strange death, and that was enough to get her interested. Theres a turning point in the film when things turn from it being about a strange death of a teen into something more apparently supernatural, and she went along with it for quite a while. She was sucked in but eventually she did ask "is this really real?" as it twisted and turned, but by that point she was already well on her way down the rabbit-hole of this unsettling and atmospheric ghost story.
The mix of film and video-sourced footage really captures the true-crime aesthetic, but what sells it is the naturalist performances of the cast, who are uniformly fantastic, you believe evey word, every conflicted emotion, and thats what sells the more fantastical elements of it. The docu-style narrative is also well-crafted, separate from the "interview" footage the film conjures some seriously eerie atmoshpere, largely without exaggerating it to the point that you're pulled-out of it. It's a delicate balance and its executed quite deftly, especially for first time writer-director Joel Anderson, who strangely has not yet directed another movie. It's quite a haunting meditation of loss and grief and the search for closure. Its a film I pretty much guarantee with cling to you for awhile after seeing it, its quite creepy.
Audio/Video: Lake Mungo (2008) arrives on region-free Blu-ray from Second Sight Films in 1080p HD widescreen (1.78:1). Its a very lovely upgrade over the Lionsgate DVD. Tge scenes shot on film showcases a healthy layer of film grain with string color saturation, nuanced contrast and solid black levels. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HA MA 5.1 with optional English subtitles. A clean and well-balanced presentation throughout that is not flashy in any way, but serves the docu-style chiller quite nicely.
Extras kick-off with an Archival Audio Commentary by Producer David Rapsey and DoP John Brawley, plus a brand new Audio Commentary by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Emma Westwood.
We also get the 46-min Captured Spirits: an interview with DoP John Brawley, and 12-min Ghost in the Machine: an interview with Producer David Rapsey, and the 29-min Cop and a Friend: an interview with Actors Carole Patullo & James Lawson.
I like that we get extras featuring contemporary filmmakers appreciating the film, reprinted here by the 25-min Kindred Spirits: Filmmakers Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead on Lake Mungo, the director of Synchronic and the 17-minute we Hosting Spirits: Filmmaker Rob Savage on Lake Mungo, director Host. All three give the film, and first time filmmaker major kudos and name it as an inspiration.
Up next are a lair of video essays; the 14-min Simulacra and Spirits: by film writer Josh Nelson, then onto the 8-min Autopsy of a Family Home by filmmaker Joseph Wallace. The disc is buttoned-uo with 21-min of Deleted Scenes.
Special Features:
- Archive audio commentary by Producer David Rapsey and DoP John Brawley
- NEW audio commentary by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Emma Westwood
- Captured Spirits: an interview with DoP John Brawley (46 min)
- Ghost in the Machine: an interview with Producer David Rapsey (12 min)
- A Cop and a Friend: an interview with Actors Carole Patullo & James Lawson (29 min)
- Kindred Spirits: Filmmakers Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead on Lake Mungo (25 min)
- Hosting Spirits: Filmmaker Rob Savage on Lake Mungo(17 min)
- Simulacra and Spirits: a video essay by film writer Josh Nelson (14 min)
- Autopsy of a Family Home: a video essay by filmmaker Joseph Wallace (8 min)
- Deleted scenes (21 min)
