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Unlike the average offering of found-footage filmmaking, Joel Anderson’s debut Lake Mungo limits the amateur aesthetic now deemed a signature of this genre. The characters aren’t taping themselves or their story in real time, but rather they are being recorded post factum by a documentary crew, including Anderson as the off-screen interviewer. The director/writer as well as John Brawley, the associate producer and director of photography, had the know-how for imitating true crime documentaries; that mimicry — everything from talking head interviews to authentically made but fictional news footage — is key to this film’s power of persuasion.

Calling this film Lake Mungo is confusing when realizing the catalyst for the story, the drowning of 16-year-old Alice Palmer (Talia Zucker), occurs at Norval Dam in Ararat. Lake Mungo, a dry lake in National Mungo Park, doesn’t even come up until around the one-hour mark. Of course, that...

Mike Flanagan has been the mastermind behind some of the scariest movies and television shows in recent years. However, this has not made the filmmaker immune to getting the creeps himself.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Flanagan revealed the name of the last movie that scared him, "The last one that truly frightened me into getting up off of the couch was an Australian movie, Lake Mungo," he said. "It chilled me to the bone. There are others, like this French film Martyrs. There's a lot of gore, but it's gore with a point. I generally don't love splatter," the filmmaker explained.

Related Mike Flanagan Explains Casting Loki's Tom Hiddleston for New Stephen King Movie

Tom Hiddleston will make his debut in the Flanaverse soon.

Released in 2008, Lake Mungo is written and directed by Joel Anderson. The movie is presented in a found footage documentary format, though the story is entirely fictional.

Joel Anderson's "Lake Mungo" is one of the most enduring horror movies of the aughts. While the Australian documentary-style film started small -- it was made on a shoestring budget and premiered at the Sydney Film Festival in 2008 -- the reputation of "Lake Mungo" has only grown in the 15 years since its release. The movie is enigmatic and polarizing. While some horror fans see its mellowly presented talking-head interview structure as mundane, others call it one of the scariest movies of all time thanks to the creeping sense of dread that builds throughout the movie, culminating in a heart-pounding third-act reveal.

Both camps, though, seem to agree that there's more to "Lake Mungo" than meets the eye. The movie about a dead girl's family seeking closure after her drowning includes several clear-cut twists, but also a handful of points of ambiguity -- and scenes that gesture towards interpretations of...

Warning: Major spoilers for the following films abound.

Few experiences unite people from all walks of life like a fear of the dark. Often surpassing specific concerns of serial killers, monsters, witches, or demons, what we collectively fear most is that mysterious, dark unknown. Anything and everything could be lurking in the shadows just waiting to pounce. Bishal Dutta’s terrifying new film It Lives Inside follows an ancient evil that hides in dark corners while terrorizing its prey. The film follows a troubled teen named Tamira (Mohana Krishnan) terrorized by a flesh-eating demon known as the Pishacha that feasts on negative energy. This malevolent being soon sets its sights on her best friend Samidha (Megan Suri) and begins a campaign of terror hoping to gorge itself on chaos, destruction, and emotional pain.

One of Dutta’s most frightening scenes takes place in Samidha’s darkened bedroom. Staring at her open closet door,...

Stars: Rosie Traynor, David Pledger, Martin Sharpe, Talia Zucker, Tania Lentini, Cameron Strachan, Judith Roberts, Robin Cuming, Marcus Costello, Chloe Armstrong | Written and Directed by ‎Joel Anderson

Horror can be all about the jump scares, or all about the scares. Some though work at a more cerebral level and hits the emotions more. Lake Mungo is a horror that may be too subtle for some, but for others who like this kind of film it creates a truly chilling experience.

Filmed in a documentary style, Lake Mungo looks at the tragic drowning of sixteen-year-old Alice Palmer and how her family deal with her death. With the help of a parapsychologist, they uncover secrets she was hiding, and find Alice was being haunted by Lake Mungo.

In the film, we look at two things, that is the story of Alice herself and her family. With the family we look at how...

The Film

When cinephiles talk about film, we often find ourselves discussing directorial careers; the trademarks, the way we see their identities as filmmakers emerge and change. That’s fascinating, but equally interesting in their own way are those directors who give us only one film to look at. It might be a singular masterpiece, a cult item, or a contender for worst film ever made (Manos: The Hands of Fate). In the case of Joel Anderson, writer/director of Lake Mungo, what we have is not just a great film, but real unfulfilled promise of a career we’re yet to see.

Lake Mungo is a faux documentary telling the story of the Palmer family in the wake of the drowning death of 16 year old Alice (Talia Zucker). Her parents June and Russell (Rosie Traynor and David Pledger) and brother Matthew (Martin Sharpe) are obviously devastated, and all begin...

Contains spoilers for the movie Lake Mungo.

“We were thinking it’d be nice if we could make a film that was kind of a curiosity, but if you saw it years from now you wouldn’t know anything about where it came from.”

This quote from a 2009 interview with Lake Mungo director Joel Anderson proved to be strangely prescient. Anderson was speaking ahead of the film’s screening at the Brisbane Film Festival – the movie had already premiered at the Sydney Film Festival, played South by Southwest in the US, and would go on to tour several more festivals before eventually finding its way onto DVD.

Anderson conducted a few interviews. He talked about how the film had in part come about because he wanted to make something cheap and manageable that could be shot in sections because he’d had trouble getting financing for a different, bigger, more...

When Martin Sharpe.s animated short Still Life was a finalist at Tropfest last year, it.s doubtful he realised his little project could be expanded into a 3D series for Australian and international audiences.

Hamish Lewis, a co-founder of international distribution and TV and film financing start-up Escapade Media, spotted Still Life and immediately begun discussing projects with Sharpe. Sharpe created the concept for Artie! - a 26 x 11 minutes, 3D animated TV series targeted primarily at 8-10 year-olds with a slight male skew and Hamish saw the market potential right away. Artie tells the story of the title character Artie, an adventurous spirit who discovers he has the ability to enter other worlds.

Managing director Natalie Lawley plans to pitch the project at Mipcom Junior in October. She is talking to three animation production companies, two Australian-based, the other in Singapore, and hopes to have decided on the production entity before the market.

For the past 25 years The American Pavilion has offered opportunities in Cannes to film students from around the world. The 2014 Emerging Filmmaker Showcase will provide an opportunity for young filmmakers to have their works seen by Cannes Festival and Film Market attendees. Prizes have been awarded to winning filmmakers in each category and the top twenty-one films will be screened in a special “Emerging Filmmaker” showcase at The American Pavilion in Cannes.

Winners Announced!

Emerging Filmmaker Showcase – Best Documentary

Forest Man directed by William Douglas McMaster

Emerging Filmmaker Showcase – Best Short Film

Tuesday directed by Oscar Lalo

Emerging Filmmaker Showcase - Best Student Documentary

Paper State: Undocumented, Unafraid, Undeterred

Directed by Elena Gaby (Vassar College)

Emerging Filmmaker Showcase – Best Student Film

Still Life directed by Martin Sharpe, (Aie Melbourne)

Here is the full list of finalist in all categories

Student Films

The Wild Wild Test

Trailer | Website

A senile old man has to re-take his driving test, but he thinks he is in a western film the whole time.

2013, 4 min., USA, Animation, The School of Visual Arts

Writer/Director: Jeff Bryson

Stranded

Trailer | Website

A stranded man and a silly seagull engage in a chase that lands them both in an unexpected place.

2013, 2 min., USA, Animation, The School of Visual Arts

Writer/Director: Donia Liechti, Vicky Penzes

Solidarity

Trailer

Two undocumented immigrants in Los Angeles, dealing with loss, unknowingly connect through collective action.

2013, 20 min., USA, Drama, Santa Monica City College

Writer/Director: Dustin Brown

Producer: Dustin Brown, Mantas Valantiejus

Cast: Mantas Valantiejus, Elpidia Carrillo

Carry On

Trailer | Website

In 1944 Japanese occupied China, a Chinese father tries to save his daughter during the war. When the Japanese troop loots the village, the father stuffs his daughter into a large bag disguised as food, but a Japanese army officer spots his secret.

2014, 16 min., USA/China, Drama, Rochester Institute of Technology

Producer/Writer/Director: Yatao Li

Cast: Cheng Chang, Miura Kenichi

1893

Trailer | Website

Environment modeling of the old St. Pancras Midland Station in London.

2013, 2 min., USA, Animation, The School of Visual Arts

Director: Ryan Chong

Spacebound

Trailer | Website

A young astronaut and his dog embark on one last adventure together through space.

2013, 3 min., USA, Animation, The School of Visual Arts

Writer/Director: Ellen Su, Kyle Moy

Sinking

Trailer | Facebook

One seven year-old recalls the day she hid in a sink cabinet from a gunman who entered her school.

2014, 7 min., USA, Drama, New York University – Tisch School of the Arts

Writer/Director: Joseph Scott Rodriguez

Producer: Molly Castro

Cast: Mandy Goodwin, Dominique Prokapus, Carson Grant

Wini + George

Trailer | Website

An unlikely friendship changes one young boy’s life forever. When a shy 9-year-old outcast, first meets his 75-year-old reclusive neighbor, he’s immediately frightened by her. But soon enough, these two realize that they have more in common with each other than they do with the rest of the world.

2013, 12 min., USA, Drama, USC School of Cinematic Arts

Writer/Director: Benjamin Monie

Producer: Connor Flanagan, Jenny Koreny, Lindsey Villarreal

Cast: Will Babbitt, Katharine Ross

Still Life (Winner)

Trailer | Website

A bored and weary security guard does his nightly rounds of a dark and deserted art gallery when strange things start to happen..

2014, 6 min., Australia, Animation, Aie Melbourne (Australian Institute of Interactive Entertainment)

Writer/Director: Martin Sharpe Producers: Martin Sharpe, Pablo Tochez Anderson, Will Lovett, Jeremy Weppner, Brennan Merett

Emerging Filmmaker Short Films

The Corner Table

Trailer | Website | Facebook

A mysterious old foreigner visits India after 25 long years and becomes a regular at a charming town cafe. The conversations at the corner table with the gentleman and a young café waitress reveals a mystery on how strangers can sometimes become friends in the most unexpected way!

2013, 24 min., India, Drama

Writer/Director: Manjari Makijany

Producer: Manjari Makijany, Emmanuel Pappas

Cast: Tom Alter, Vinati Makijany, Pushtiie Shakti, Krishna Chaturvedi, Reuben Karkaria, Bhavna Pani, Vikrant Makijany

Sincerity (Sinceridad)

Trailer | Website

A young man decides to tell his parents a secret he’s been keeping to himself.

2014, 3 min., Spain, Subtitled, Dramedy

Director: Andrea Casaseca Ferrer

Writer: Maria Rodriguez Mora

Producer: Idoia Kareaga

Cast: Gerald B. Fillmore, Javier Laorden, Kiti Manver

Ups & Downs

Trailer | Facebook

Harry is embarrassed and ashamed of his brother Josh who suffers from Down’s Syndrome. At Harry’s 18th birthday party, Josh is told to stay away from Harry’s friends, but as Harry’s heavy drinking results in danger, only his brother can help.

2013, 9 min., United Kingdom, Drama

Director: Stuart Fryer

Writer: Adam Cohen

Producer: Charlotte Woodhead

Cast: Bobby Lockwood, Otto Baxter, Edward Ashley, Sophie Coward, Vanessa Bailey

The Usual

Trailer | Facebook

Set in the 1930s, a privileged couple learns, through a series of events, the meaning of pay-it-forward, when they unexpectedly find themselves the ones in need.

2014, 10 min., USA, Drama

Writer/Director: Dawn Higginbotham

Producer: Dawn Higginbotham, Kumari Bakhru, Claire Risoli, Sharen Davis and Renee O’Connor

Cast: Renee O’Connor, Mackenzie Astin, Russell Sams, Raymond O’Connor, Dustin Quick, Robert Pullman

Tuesday (Winner)

Trailer | Website

A man who takes an unexpected turn, struggles to keep all the pieces of his life together.

2013, 7 min., Switzerland/USA, Drama

Writer/Director: Oscar Lalo

Producer: Laura Bunbury, Lisa Bunbury

Cast: Oscar Lalo, Liv Southard

What’s On Your Mind?

Trailer | Facebook

What happens when one man decides to embellish his online status?

2014, 3 min., Norway, Comedy/Drama

Writer/Director: Shaun Higton

Producer: Andrew Adam Higton

Cast: Espen Alknes, Benedicte Westby

Today’s The Day

Trailer | Website

With the clock ticking away, Cloud Walker, a self-doubting intern at the most respected dance agency in La must ask the boss for his consent to attend the biggest the audition of the year. Struggling with his inner fears, Cloud’s dreams are quickly slipping away. It’s up to him to follow his heart or live the rest of his life in regret.

2013, 13 min., USA, Musical

Director: Daniel Campos

Writer: Daniel Campos, Tamara Levinson

Producer: Spencer Susser, Tova Dann

Cast: Daniel Campos, Danny DeVito

Emerging Student Documentaries

Eviction

Trailer | Website

In the midst of an ongoing battle between impoverished Cambodians and powerful private companies over increasingly valuable land, a 72-year-old grandmother struggles to protect her home, family and community from land grabbing that often amounts to violent forced evictions.

2013, 21 min., Subtitled, USA/Cambodia, Documentary, Boise State University/New York University – Tisch Asia

Director: Garret Atlakson

Producer: Philip Atlakson, Mony Rath

Cast: Nget Khun

Paper State: Undocumented, Unafraid, Undeterred (Winner)

Trailer | Facebook

Four undocumented teenagers in Hudson Valley, NY, struggle to rise above their legal status and make the transition from high school to college.

2013, 25 min., USA, Documentary, Vassar College

Writer/Director: Elena Gaby

Producer: Ashlei Hardenburg

Emerging Documentaries

Being Different If You’re A Weddell Seal In Antarctica

Trailer | Website

Being different can mean a matter of life or death if you’re a Weddell seal pup in Antarctica. Ecologists from Montana State University return every year to study this iconic Antarctic marine predator, the southernmost mammal on Earth.

2013, 13 min., USA/Antarctica, Documentary

Writer/Director: Mary Lynn Price

Humanexus

Trailer | Website

Humanexus is a reflection on mankind’s long search for ways to connect each other, from cave drawings to tweeting.

2013, 11 min., USA, Animation/Documentary

Director: Ying-Fang Shen

Producer: Katy Borner

Forest Man (Winner)

Trailer | Website

The incredible story of Jadav Payeng, an Indian man who single-handedly planted nearly 1400 acres of forest to save his island, Majuli.

2013, 18 min., Canada/India, Documentary

Writer/Director: William Douglas McMaster

Producer: William Douglas McMaster, Mike Ritchie...

For their 9th annual edition, the Atlanta Underground Film Festival will be assaulting the south from its Goat Farm Arts Center screening center on Sep. 13-16 with four days and nights of independent feature films, shorts and documentaries.

Some of the feature films screening include Lisa Duva’s multi-dimensional Cat Scratch Fever, Jason Lapeyre’s thriller Cold Blooded and Brady Hall’s hilariously named Hello, My Name Is Dick Licker.

This year’s Auff is also packed to the gills with short films with multiple blocks of shorts screening per day. Some of the special ones to look out for are Neil Ira Needleman‘s A Few Words in Favor of God, Jim Haverkamp‘s When Walt Whitman Was a Little Girl and Mike Salva‘s award-winning animated short Pound Dogs.

The full film lineup is below, but please visit the official Atlanta Underground Film Festival website for more details and to buy advance tickets.

Lake Mungo

Stars: Rosie Traynor, David Pledger, Martin Sharpe, Talia Zucker | Written and directed by Joel Anderson

Sometimes the best style of horror is the psychological, which is designed to get into your head and make you really wonder what you are in fact watching. This is the type of movie that Lake Mungo is.

Lake Mungo is filmed as a documentary looking into the events that took place after a teenage girl called Alice Palmer tragically drowns while swimming in a dam near where she lived. The family talk about how they learnt to cope with the death, and also how they did not. After her death strange things start to happen around the house where she lived and it’s not long before the ghostly image of the girl starts to appear in pictures taken after her death. As events get stranger the family set up video cameras...

Lake Mungo

DVD

Director: Joel Anderson

Starring: Talia Zucker, Rosie Traynor, David Pledger, Martin Sharpe, Steve Jodrell

Lionsgate Home Entertainment

Release Date: March 23, 2010

For four straight years now, After Dark Horrorfest: 8 Films to Die For has been unleashed. Eight original horror films to quench your thirst for blood and gore and screams galore. Last year I was able to check out and review their third collection of horrors (Read: DVD Review: After Dark Horrorfest III: 8 Films To Die For), and was rather excited to check out their new slate this year! Instead of cramming every review into one mammoth review, this year we'll take it one flick at a time, with this little opener stuck at the top of each one.

Most of the movies that you'll see when watching an After Dark Horrorfest title will involve a whole lot of graphic violence and some pretty horrific other-worldly beings. And...

If you like to be scared, really scared, we know a great way to terrorize yourself for nearly twenty hours, all for just $159.98. How, you ask? Well, here's how: run out and buy the fourth installment of After Dark Horrorfest 8 Films to Die For. Really, it's that simple. Not familiar with 8 Films to Die for? Each year, After Dark opens eight indie horror films in theaters in major markets, and then the folks at Lionsgate release them on DVD, both separately and as a packaged set. The 2010 collection is out now, and there's some stuff well worth recommending, a bunch of cool, up-and-coming actors and actresses screaming their heads off, and stacks of directors showing some major chops and priming themselves for bright futures. Lake Mungo (2010) centers on a family that discovers some crazy secrets about their daughter after her supposedly accidental death. The relatively unknown cast includes Rosie Traynor,...

Chicago – We’ve spent the last few weeks working our way through the fourth collection of the series subtitled “8 Films to Die For” and found a few highlights and lowlights of the fourth annual “After Dark Horrorfest” that we would are now unafraid to share. With two entries that are much more accomplished than last year’s thoroughly mediocre octet, this year featured some quality and some, well, not-so-quality. Let us break it down from best to worst.

1. “Dread”

DVD Rating: 4.0/5.0

Starring: Jackson Rathbone, Shaun Evans, Hanne Steen, and Laura Donnelly

Written by: Anthony Diblasi

Directed by: Anthony Diblasi

After Dark Horrorfest IV: Dread

Photo credit: Lionsgate Home Video

Synopsis: “Produced by Clive Barker and adapted from his Books of Blood collection by Anthony Diblasi (screenwriter), Dread follows Stephen (Jackson Rathbone, The Twilight Saga) and Cheryl (Hanne Steen), college students making a documentary about what people dread in life. But...

Now in it's fourth year, Horrorfest, the annual cinematic showcase for After Dark Films, has established something of a reputation as a platform for fresh, daring filmmakers to get themselves noticed. More than just a simple market for nasties, the After Dark label stands for quality by way of authenticity, delivering horror films by genre lovers for genre lovers. In addition to this yearly frightfest, After Dark recently announced a new venture to develop their own projects, in partnership with SyFy, NBC, and Lionsgate, titled After Dark Originals. Aiming to do for horror what the Sundance Institute did for the American indie, the eight slate series will begin production next month with a view towards theatrical release later this fall.

Titles featured in this year's Horrorfest include:

The Reeds

Starring: Anna Brewster, O-t Fagbenle, Will Mellor, Danny Caltagirone, Scarlett Johnson, Emma Catherwood, Geoff Bell

Director: Nick Cohen

Inspired by any...

The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity are the two most successful ‘mock documentary’ horror films but those were alleged as ‘found footage’ and much of the horror derived from the literal point-of-view of its principals and the mystery of what happened to them. The new Australian ‘faux-doc’ Lake Mungo from writer/director Joel Anderson is presented as a full-blown investigative-style documentary about a family grieving the drowning death of their teenage daughter and their belief that her ghost has returned to haunt them. Spooky and original (and of course slated for a Hollywood remake), the horrors in Lake Mungo are so subtle that they’re barely there, and the film is more powerful for it.

Using different types of film stock and videotape to depict ‘real’ footage, Lake Mungo considers the case of 16-year-old Alice Palmer (Talia Zucker). Alice is a smart and attractive girl from a loving, well-off family who one day,...

The official trailer for After Dark Horrorfest 4's Australian import Lake Mungo made itself a fine little splash today and we've got a quick look at it for you!

In Lake Mungo sixteen-year-old Alice Palmer drowns while swimming in the local dam. When her body is recovered and a verdict of accidental death returned, her grieving family buries her. The family then experiences a series of strange and inexplicable events centered in and around their home. Profoundly unsettled, the Palmers seek the help of psychic and parapsychologist Ray Kemeny. Ray discovers that Alice led a secret, double life. A series of clues lead the family to Lake Mungo, where Alice's secret past emerges.

Lake Mungo marks the feature fim debut for writer/director Joel Anderson and stars Talia Zucker, Rosie Traynor, David Pledger, and Martin Sharpe.

After Dark Horrorfest 4 runs for one week in theatres across the United States from January 29nd–February 5th,...

Already released in Australia on DVD, Lake Mungo will hit North American screens on January 29th. More than just a ghost story, Lake Mungo follows Alice Palmer into the afterlife and a poster seen left symbolizes Palmer's transformation to the other side. Hinting at Palmer's death in a dam, water can be seen at the bottom of the image, with Palmer screaming on top. More news, outside the Horrorfest movie poster release, suggests that an American copy of the film is in the works and will be released in 2010. Why do American studios continue to remake European, Asian and Australian horror films? An inferiority complex on the part of American studios? An easy paycheque? As long as Lake Mungo turns out to be as good as initial reviews suggest then 2010 will be a great year for horror filmmaking despite the slew of American remakes.

A short summary of Lake Mungo...

Los Angeles, CA (August 27, 2009) - After Dark Films CEO Courtney Solomon has announced that After Dark has inked a deal with Arclight Films to feature Lake Mungo in it’s next incarnation of After Dark Horrorfest: 8 Films to Die For. The supernatural mystery is written and directed by Joel Anderson making his feature debut. Talia Zucker, Rosie Traynor, David Pledger and Martin Sharpe star. Georgie Nevile and David Rapsey produced. Dana Lambert, VP of Acquisitions at After Dark brokered the deal with Arclight Films who represented the filmmakers in the negotiations. In Lake Mungo, sixteen-year-old Alice Palmer drowns while swimming in the local dam. When her body [...]...

An early look at Lake Mungo uncovers only more mystery and intrigue, as the film centers around the haunting of Alice Palmer. Lake Mungo is the third officially announced film for the Horror Fest 2010 film festival and the first poster can be seen left. As well, a trailer can be seen for this feature here, that looks both suspenseful and eerie all in one. Check out the synopsis below.

A synopsis for Lake Mungo here:

"In Lake Mungo, sixteen-year-old Alice Palmer drowns while swimming in the local dam. When her body is recovered and a verdict of accidental death returned, her grieving family buries her. The family then experiences a series of strange and inexplicable events centered in and around their home. Profoundly unsettled, the Palmers seek the help of psychic and parapsychologist, Ray Kemeny. Ray discovers that Alice led a secret, double life. A series of clues lead the...

Fango Fiends in the UK have a new haunt to check out when Celluloid Screams, Sheffield’s first horror film festival arrives at the Showroom Cinema (Paternoster Row, Sheffield S1 2Bx ) from October 23-25.

With 24 hours worth of films "featuring everything from classic and cult horror to contemporary new releases," Celluloid Screams was created by award-winning Sheffield filmmaker and horror aficionado Rob Nevitt. Check out the full details and screening schedule below the jump!

Festival highlights include the UK Premiere of Us indie shocker Neighbor. Dominic Monaghan, star of Lord of the Rings and Lost stars in I Sell The Dead, a film harking back to the days of classic Hammer horror while Yoroi: Samurai Zombie and Vampire Girl Vs Frankenstein Girl continue the recent trend of outrageous gore from Japan. From the archives we have rare screenings of Bigas Luna’s Anguish, classic 80’s slasher The Burning and exploitation epic Pieces.

After Dark dropped us a line today with their proposed third film to die for joining the previously announced Dread and The Graves, a little flick that will hopefully move along swimmingly called Lake Mungo.

In Lake Mungo sixteen-year-old Alice Palmer drowns while swimming in the local dam. When her body is recovered and a verdict of accidental death returned, her grieving family buries her. The family then experiences a series of strange and inexplicable events centered in and around their home. Profoundly unsettled, the Palmers seek the help of psychic and parapsychologist Ray Kemeny. Ray discovers that Alice led a secret, double life. A series of clues lead the family to Lake Mungo, where Alice's secret past emerges.

Lake Mungo marks the feature fim debut for writer/director Joel Anderson and stars Talia Zucker, Rosie Traynor, David Pledger, and Martin Sharpe.

After Dark Horrorfest 4 runs for one week in...

After Dark Films has announced that a deal has been inked to include the Australian thriller Lake Mungo in the 2010 After Dark Horrorfest: 8 Films to Die For. It's the third film to join the fest behind Dread and The Graves . Lake Mungo is a supernatural mystery written and directed by Joel Anderson making his feature debut. Talia Zucker, Rosie Traynor, David Pledger and Martin Sharpe star. In Lake Mungo , sixteen-year-old Alice Palmer drowns while swimming in the local dam. When her body is recovered and a verdict of accidental death returned, her grieving family buries her. The family then experiences a series of strange and inexplicable events centered in and around their home. Profoundly unsettled, the Palmers seek the help of psychic and parapsychologist, Ray...

It was announced tonight that After Dark has inked a deal with Arclight Films to feature Lake Mungo in its next incarnation of After Dark Horrorfest: 8 Films to Die For, which runs for one week in theatres across the United States from January 29nd February 5th, making it the largest nationwide film festival. The film joins the previously announced Clive Barker adaptation Dread and The Graves. You can check out the first official stills, the promo trailer and full release beyond the break. The supernatural mystery is written and directed by Joel Anderson making his feature debut. Talia Zucker, Rosie Traynor, David Pledger and Martin Sharpe star. Georgie Nevile and David Rapsey produced. Dana Lambert, VP of Acquisitions at After Dark brokered the deal with Arclight Films who represented the filmmakers in the negotiations.

One of the most alked about films at last year's Afm was Joel Anderson's Lake Mungo, which tells the story of a teenager whose apparent death sets off a series of paranormal events. Frightened by what appears to be otherworldly activity, her family discovers secrets about their daughter as well as what lurks beneath Lake Mungo. The film was shot in a sort of faux-documentary style and can be sampled when you check out the official promo traler over at Bdtv. Talia Zucker, Rosie Traynor, David Pledger and Martin Sharpe all star. We'll keep you posted on release plans while Paramount Vantage works on remaking the film.