Speaking of “The Sixth Sense”, what is the first thing that comes to your mind?
That famous twist of course!
Okay, maybe the oft-quoted “I see dead people” line is trivial to some of you, but when the movie came out in 1999, it was the crazy ending that led to word-of-mouth buzz.
That’s not fair, as it’s the film’s humanity, heartbreaking performances, and moving depiction of grief that truly set it apart
Well, what if we told you that there’s an obscure Australian horror film from 2008 that contains several equally shocking twists and an equally touching portrayal of the bereaved?
The movie is called “Lake Mongo”.
Whether you’re the kind of hard-hearted horror snob who believes they can’t possibly be surprised, or you’re just the kind of viewer who likes to show his fears with heart, this largely forgotten portrait of a family in crisis is a must-see , to achieve cult-worthy classic status.
The story begins with the drowning of a young girl named Alice.
In the weeks after her death, Alice’s devastated family began to notice strange things happening in their home.
Images of the girl began to appear in photographs, and Alice’s brother Matthew managed to capture blurry shots of her wandering the halls.
The family even exhumed Alice’s body in the desperate hope that she had been mistakenly identified and was still wandering their neighborhood. Sadly, DNA testing confirmed that she had indeed passed away.
A psychic is brought in to help the family communicate with Alice and bring some closure to the family – and that’s when things get really weird.
Sounds familiar, right? You might even think you know exactly where this story is going.
Well, think again. It turned out that Matthew had faked the footage and photos in his desperate grief.
This twist could serve as the ending to many a horror movie—but it happens less than halfway to Lake Mongo
What follows is a harrowing story of sexual abuse, family secrets and the fear of death.
It would be a crime to spoil Lake Mongo, but suffice it to say, the fake camera twist is just the first of many surprises that are executed for more than just shock value.
Instead, they follow a path that swerves toward a conclusion as gruesome and painful as the one that made Nate Shyamalan a household name.
Placing such a little-known film at the top of its decade and genre might sound like a stretch, especially when it’s placed alongside the likes of The Ring, Arrival, Paranormal Activity, and 28 Days Later When compared.
(Thankfully, the short-lived trend of torture porn actually made this decade’s horror scene pretty weak, but there are still some real classics among them.)
But for a film full of unexpected developments, the biggest surprise of “Lake Mongo” is its ability to pack a lot of real emotion into its 87-minute runtime.
And it doesn’t hurt that it scares the living daylights out of you multiple times along the way.
Over to you, TV fanatics! Are you a member of the small but growing cult of Mungoheads? Are we exaggerating our point by calling this movie the best horror movie of the ’00s?
Hit the comments section below to share your thoughts!
Watch Lake Mongo Online
