PARANORMAL ACTIVITY and LAKE MUNGO… two ghostly “mockumentaries” that I want to see. by DARK SIDE

Posted on September 8th, 2009

Okay, so I’m on an indie horror kick at the moment. Sue me. It’s that time of the year.

These are two that I’m highly anticipating. Not good considering I doubt I (or you) will get to see either anytime soon.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: EVIDENCE OF A HAUNTING

Hitting the festival circuit for awhile now (at least since 2007), this Blair Witch-type found-footage film capitalizes on a very simple idea… A couple move into a new place. Weird things start happening so they set up some video cameras to try and solve the mystery.

Things get scary. So scary in fact that it’s rumored that audience members leave the theater shaken and spooked. Now that’s the kind of movie experience I’d like to be a part of! Even the trailer’s pretty damn freaky…

Weird thing is I can’t find out any information about the current status of this film. Did it find distribution? Will we see it on DVD? More importantly, when the hell can I see it??? Or did the cast and crew start dying off one by one in a Poltergeist-type curse? I’ve contacted the filmmakers to see if I can get an answer on that. Until then, stay tuned.

LAKE MUNGO

A cheesy, Australian-sounding monster movie title, Lake Mungo(why does everything over there have to be “Mungo” or “Dundee” or “diggeridoo?) looks to have some similarities to Paranormal Activity but with a bit more of a budget and a larger story.

When a teenage girl dies mysteriously, her family begins experiencing paranormal events in their home. After setting up some cameras, they learn that she hasn’t quite passed on yet as they capture her ghost repeatedly on camera. It appears she is trying to tell them something… or warn them.

Shot documentary-style, this one seems to go for a slow burn of creepiness and atmosphere rather than solid scares. Word has it that Hollywood has already grabbed this one for an American remake, but they want to jettison the doc-style for a more straightforward movie narrative. The style is the most intriguing part of the film AND it’s all the rage, so if they don’t use it then what’s the point? They might as well remake “What Lies Beneath” because that’s what they’ll get if they follow their current course of action. Besides, it’s an ENGLISH LANGUAGE movie, Hollywood! Grow a pair and release it as is!

Guess who’s under your bed again!!!