Aug 11, 2015 tens of thousands of years ago, the desert landscape, named lake mungo, was filled by lakes. The lake mungo remains are three sets of human fossils. The film was screened in austin, texas usa at the south by southwest film festival in march 2009. What follows is a discussion about the making of this unique film. The film is extremely well done, creating mood and tension effectively. Apologies to samson and delilah, mary and max and balibo. Everything you need to know about lake mungo movie.
Theres nothing particularly suspicious about the death. It is filmed in a documentary style, in which the familyfriendswork associates are interviewed by an unseen person, with pictures and video footage shown as well. Movies like lake mungo if you like lake mungo you are looking for psychological, tense and suspenseful movies about with supernatural, ghost, investigation, uncover truth, teenage life, mystery and family life themes of drama, horror and mystery genre shot in australia. She became separated from her family and her emaciated but untampered with corpse washes up days later. The main camp was surprisingly busy considering it was winter and very cold at night, but being more or less halfway between sydney and adelaide, lake mungo is a convenient stopover spot. Im australian and constantly surprised that we dont do much in the way of advertising our movies to ourselves. In australia, the film was at the travelling film festival wagga wagga on march 2009. Oct 30, 2010 lake mungo begins with a tragedy the drowning of 16yearold alice palmer talia zucker. Lake mungo is lot more realistic than twin peaks and plays with the idea that alice is alive and then, when that is proven wrong, that she is a ghost. May 18, 2011 lake mungo is an austrailian film similar in taste to paranormal activity, quarantine, cloverfield, insert handheld camera movie here, and here, and here, and.
Jun 07, 20 when i started lake mungo, i wasnt expecting to find anything that was able to quench my thirst for horror, and maybe thats why i ended up enjoying it so much. The film centers on the idea of life after death, however deep behind the films veil lies an uneasy pretense that is rooted in grief, sadness and the coping of death. In december 2005, 16 year old alice palmer talia zucker drowns in a dam near the small victorian town of ararat. Lake mungo is an austrailian film similar in taste to paranormal activity, quarantine, cloverfield, insert handheld camera movie here, and here, and here, and.
This superbly constructed and executed film gets everything right, to the smallest detail, as it draws us into the imagined scenario. Lake mungo simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Pieces of skeletons have been found in this region. It is one of 17 lakes in the world heritage listed willandra lakes region many important archaeological discoveries have been made at the lake. Lake mungo hangs itself on these emotions, dwelling in sorrow and the shadow of a lingering sinister presence. The lake mungo iii or lake mungo 3 or willandra lakes hominid 3, wlh3 burial, located 450 meters 1,500 feet from the cremation site, was a fully articulated and intact human skeleton, discovered in 1974. Lake mungo is a 2008 australian psychological horror film written and directed by joel anderson and starring talia zucker and martin sharpe. A 65minute slow burn to one impactful scare, pic brims with ideas along the way. Dec 21, 2009 lake mungo is an atmospheric, disturbing, creepy, and even sad movie in some ways, and it deftly weaves all of those elements together to pull you in and leave you thinking about it long after youve finished watching.
Professor dirk hr spennemann has ventured this way before. Ghostly shenanigans are dryly delivered in the ambitious, restrained and wellmounted oz mockumentary lake mungo. Lake mungo 2008 that one scene spoiler alert i have been watching horror movies for a long time, im addicted to them just like everyone here, although i miss that feeling of being truly scared, i havent felt that exact feeling of being so scared that i cant even move since i was about 12 years old. Dec 22, 2008 sixteenyearold alice palmer drowns while swimming in the local dam. Lake mungo 3 was further discussed by thorne 1977 where in a diagram comparing the morphological extremes of late holocene and fossil australian crania, the latter group containing midholocene and terminal pleistocene skeletons, lm3 was placed in the middle of the modern female range and outside the male range. I expected a straight forward ghost movie and at first you kind of get what you expect except for that the movie. Most of the movies scares come from photos and found footage, which is a gimmick that doesnt always work in movies. Lake mungo remains simple english wikipedia, the free.
Sixteenyearold alice palmer drowns while swimming in. The family then experiences a series of strange and inexplicable events centered in and around their home. I usually enjoy these kind of films i feel the shakiness of them only adds to the trueness of them and i honestly cant say that i didnt enjoy this one. The bones of the skeleton, referred to as mungo lady, had been burnt before burial, making them the worlds oldest evidence of cremation and ceremonial burial. A month later, when strange noises and apparitions begin, the family becomes convinced there are supernatural. If you only like horror with jumpscares and shocks then this probably isnt one for you, but if you like understated, subtly creepy ideas. Lake mungo is another film that almost passed me by. The lake is the central feature of mungo national park, and is one of seventeen lakes in the world heritage listed willandra lakes region. Jul 29, 2019 the lake mungo iii or lake mungo 3 or willandra lakes hominid 3, wlh3 burial, located 450 meters 1,500 feet from the cremation site, was a fully articulated and intact human skeleton, discovered in 1974. Ray discovers that alice led a secret, double life. Nov 03, 2015 the 40,000yearold remains of mungo man were discovered in 1974 on the southern sector of the eroding lake mungo shoreline. This ability to make a particular landscape seem permanent despite massive changes is one of earths greatest geological feats.
Why lake mungo is the best ghost film youve never seen. Frightened by what appears to be otherworldly activity, her family discovers secrets about their daughter as well as what lurks beneath lake mungo. Its the result of a family trip to the local dam gone awry. He was clearly important enough for his passing to be marked with a ritual ceremony. Whats the story the story of a teenager whose apparent death sets off a series of paranormal events. Lake mungo will have its first australian television screening on wednesday the 6th at 10pm on sbs one. Review by nathaxnne supermessed up 2 more than any other film i have seen on these matters, lake mungo understands and problematizes the phenomena of haunting as phenomena of documentation. While this is a tragedy in itself, its what the family dont know about their daughter that is truly tragic. Martin sharpe in lake mungo 2008 steve jodrell and martin sharpe in lake mungo 2008 lake mungo 2008. Clearly, i thought, there is something to this lake mungo movie that has all. Starring talia zucker, rosie traynor, david pledger, martin sharpe, steve jodrell, tamara donnellan and scott terrill.
The evershifting sands of lake mungo national park are australias window into deep time, where people sat, cooked and talked tens of thousands of years ago. Most horror fans arent going to enjoy writerdirector joel andersons creepy 2008 pseudodocumentary lake mungo. But david expressed an interest in being part of the lake mungo screening, so i invited him, a relative stranger, into my apartment this past evening to watch the movie with me. Since then, the territory has been as it now appearsdry, dusty, semiarid terrain. Lake mungo 3 australia late pleistocene homo sapiens skeleton.
Little more than regret, guilt, and dark secrets manage to make a movie with no violence or threatening antagonists give you. Lake mungo is a feature film about grief and the harrowing 12 months that follow the accidental death of 16 year old alice palmer. Lake mungo full movie 2008 lets join, fullhd moviesseasonepisode here. Lake mungo really is a very simple film, it follows the palmer family as they deal with the loss of alice their daughtersister. At one point, death finally takes her while she swam with her family and the whole movie is about her ghost trying to help her family see what she was really like, and it succeeds by showing them a glimpse of her life with the video footage at lake mungo and the tape of her having sex with the tooweys but they never get a full picture of what. That is, apparently, what is to happen to lake mungo slated to be remade by paramount vantage by 2011 but my advice is, dont wait, seek out this spooky little original before they fill the stateside version with impossibly good looking, bronzed teens and ruin the understated nature of. Many important archaeological findings have been made at the lake, most significantly the discovery of the remains of mungo. A series of clues lead the family to lake mungo where alices secret past emerges. Jim bowler, author provided mungo man moves to national museum, but he. I usually enjoy these kind of films i feel the shakiness of them only adds to the trueness of them and i honestly cant say that i didnt enjoy this one as well, but it did kind of. Apr 01, 2011 lake mungo will have its first australian television screening on wednesday the 6th at 10pm on sbs one. The family then experiences a series of strange and inexplicable events centered. Lake mungo is a dry lake in the southwestern part of new south wales, australia. The 40,000yearold remains of mungo man were discovered in 1974 on the southern sector of the eroding lake mungo shoreline.
Upon discovering her secret double life, a series of clues lead them to lake mungo. It employs a mockumentary format using actors in place of interviewees to tell the story of a family trying to come to terms with the drowning death of their daughter and the potentially supernatural. Clearly, i thought, there is something to this lake mungo movie that has all these horror fans delighted. Lake mungo, which dried up about 14,000 years ago, became one of the worlds most important archaeological sites when geologist jim bowler unearthed the remains of a young aboriginal woman in 1968. The film centers on the idea of life after death, however deep behind the film s veil lies an uneasy pretense that is rooted in grief, sadness and the coping of death. The excellent acting and the totally believable mix of media and the perfectlypaced reveals dont lead so much to a frightening climax as a gobsmacking encounter with the void. The main crux of the film is the family coming to terms with her death, learning the truth about her life, and moving on. Strange things start happening after a girl is found drowned in a lake. Watch lake mungo 2008 full movie free online streaming. The lake is the main feature of mungo national park. The adult male body had been sprinkled with powdered red ochre at the time of the burial. John brawley, the cinematographer of lake mungo, reached out to me on twitter and provided this article he wrote about the making. Lake mungo begins with a tragedy the drowning of 16yearold alice palmer talia zucker. Lake mungo is an exceptionally wellacted and cleverly made horror film with a quietly unsettling undercurrent to it.
A family mourns the death of its 16yearold daughter, alice. If you only like horror with jumpscares and shocks then this probably isnt one for you, but if you like understated, subtly creepy ideas and images then lake mungo will be right up your street. Lake mungo has only one camping area other than a bush camp some 20 kilometres away on the other side of the lake from the main entrance. The sites are located near lake mungo, in new south wales, australia, in the world heritagelisted willandra lakes region. Home trending history get youtube premium get youtube tv. He was clearly important enough for his passing to be marked with a. But beneath the scaryasfuck ghosts and classic horror jumps there is a beautiful story about lost souls trying to find meaning and purpose. For obvious reasons, the film will be hard for most to digest, due in part to the pictures history channel aesthetic. They are lake mungo 1 lm1, or mungo lady, lake mungo 2 lm2, and lake mungo 3 lm3, or mungo man.
Lake mungo is a dry lake located in new south wales, australia. Lake mungo is extremely unique in the way that the film is pieced together as a documentary. In lake mungo, sixteenyearold alice palmer drowns while swimming in the local dam. Something haunted their daughter and the terrifying truth awaits at lake mungo. She is enjoying a family picnic with her parents june and russell palmer rosie traynor and david pledger and brother martin sharpe. Mungo man moves to national museum, but hes still not home. Balranald offers a selection of motels, hotels and caravan parks pooncarie has a hotelmotel and ivanhoe offers a caravan park, cabins and hotel. With rosie traynor, david pledger, martin sharpe, talia zucker. That is, apparently, what is to happen to lake mungo slated to be remade by paramount vantage by 2011 but my advice is, dont wait, seek out this spooky little original before they fill the stateside version with impossibly good looking, bronzed teens and ruin the understated nature of the thrills. If someone were to cleverly incorporate this movie onto pbs program schedule, theres a very strong possibility that some.
Lake mungo is a mystery, a thriller and a ghost story. Lake mungo is a mystery, a thriller and a ghost story told in documentary form that illustrates how the dead can forever haunt the living. Shot documentarystyle, it presents the story of a young girl who goes missing on a trip with her family, and is subsequently found dead. Watch lake mungo 2008 full movie free online streaming tubi. Lake mungo 2008 that one scene spoiler alert i have been watching horror movies for a long time, im addicted to them just like everyone here, although i miss that feeling of being truly scared, i havent felt that exact feeling of being so scared that i cant even move since i. Tens of thousands of years ago, the desert landscape, named lake mungo, was filled by lakes. Released 2008, lake mungo stars talia zucker, rosie traynor, david pledger, martin sharpe the r movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 29 min, and received a score of out of 100 on metacritic. Lake mungo is an atmospheric, disturbing, creepy, and even sad movie in some ways, and it deftly weaves all of those elements together to pull you in and leave you thinking about it long after youve finished watching. Lake mungo was screened in the united kingdom on 17 march at the barbican london australian film festival. The lowkey australian horror film lake mungo was first recommended to me by david demchuk, whos something of a horror aficionado, but it was also suggested by at least two other donors.
When her body is recovered and a verdict of accidental death returned, her grieving family buries her. Jan 14, 2010 ray discovers that alice led a secret, double life. Sixteenyearold alice palmer drowns while swimming in the local dam. A full range of accommodation is available in mildura.
It is about 760 km due west of sydney and 90 km northeast of mildura. The innkeepers is a very scary film, not since lake mungo have i been as tense in a horror film. Lake mungo was requested by donor, playwright, and selfdescribed lake mungo evangelist, david demchuk, who i only really knew through twitter. When i started lake mungo, i wasnt expecting to find anything that was able to quench my thirst for horror, and maybe thats why i ended up enjoying it so much. Few films convey this grieving process better than 2008 psychological horror lake mungo, a modern indie classic that somehow failed to get.