Lake Mungo: This 2008 Aussie Mockumentary Might Be the Best Horror Film of Its Decade

When you think of The Sixth Sense, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

That famous twist, of course!

Okay, maybe the oft-quoted “I see dead people” line edged it out for some of you, but it was the bonkers ending that led to wildfire word of mouth when the film hit theaters back in 1999.

And that wasn’t really fair, as it was the film’s humanity, its heartbreaking performances, and its moving depiction of grief that really set it apart from the pack

Well, what if we were to tell you that there’s an obscure 2008 Aussie horror flick that contains several equally shocking twists and is just as affecting in its portrayal of the bereaved?

The film is called Lake Mungo.

And whether you’re the type of hardened horror snob who’s convinced that they’re impossible to surprise, or you’re simply the kind of viewer who prefers a little heart with their scares, this largely forgotten portrait of a family in crisis is a must-see that to attain deserves cult classic status.

The story begins with the drowning death of a teenage girl named Alice.

In the weeks after her passing, Alice’s devastated family begins to notice strange happenings around their home.

Images of the girl begin to pop up in photographs, and Alice’s brother, Mathew, manages to capture what appears to be grainy footage of her stalking the halls.

The family even goes so far as to exhume Alice’s body in the desperate hope that she was misidentified and is still wandering their neighborhood. Alas, DNA tests confirm that she’s really gone.

A psychic is called in to help the family commune with Alice and gain some closure for the family — and that’s when things really get weird.

Sounds familiar, right? You might even be thinking you know exactly where this story is headed.

Well, think again. It turns out that Mathew faked the footage and photos in a desperate act of grief.

It’s the kind of twist that would serve as the conclusion to many horror films — but it takes place less than halfway through Lake Mungo

What follows is a harrowing tale of sexual abuse, family secrets, and the all-too-relatable fear of mortality.

It would be a crime to spoil Lake Mungo, but suffice it to say, the fake footage twist is just the first of many, and these surprises are not executed merely for the sake of shock value.

Instead, they’re oblique turns along a path that leads to a conclusion every bit as chilling and agonizing as the one that made M. Night Shyamalan a household name.

It might sound like hyperbole to rank such a little-known film at the top of its decade and genre, especially when it’s up against such films as The Ring, The Descent, Paranormal Activity, and 28 Days Later.

(The thankfully short-lived trend toward torture porn actually made the aughts a pretty weak decade for horror, but there were still some bonafide classics in the mix.)

But for a film loaded with unexpected developments, Lake Mungo’s biggest surprise is the amount of genuine emotion it’s able to pack into its 87-minute runtime.

And it doesn’t hurt that it also manages to scare the hell out of you several times along the way.

Over to you, TV fanatics! Are you a member of the small but growing cult of Mungoheads? Are we overstating our case by calling this film the best spooky flick of the ’00s?

Hit the comments section below to share your thoughts!

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