There's something a little unnerving about Lake Mungo, much in the vein of the Blair Witch Project minus the freaky ending, or perhaps more closely to the more recent Paranormal Activity, except, well, you know, Australian.
Despite fairly average, barely believable performances and the sometimes messy intertwining story lines that didn't entirely fit nor were they fleshed out to their full potential, Lake Mungo delivers the occasionally compelling moment.
Shot in documentary style, Lake Mungo traces the story of the Palmer family following an incident where Alice, the teenage daughter, vanishes, presumed drowned in a dam while on a family day trip.
While trying to deal with their tragedy, unusual things begin occurring in the family home.
Strange noises are heard in the night, doors slam without a visible slam, and a mysterious unexplained presence resembling Alice appears in photos taken by the teenage son.
Enter Ray, a psychic the family goes to so they may make some sense of their situation.
Is Ray genuine in his purporting to be psychic, or just another charlatan? It's an aspect that's not satisfyingly explored, but his presence in their lives makes a minor enough impact to keep the story moving.
Slowly, pieces of Alice's life are revealed through found mobile phone and video footage, through diary entries, and through a visit to the site of Alice's school camp at Lake Mungo where Alice's secrets are eventually unraveled.
Lake Mungo looks at some interesting paranormal ideas, but not with enough depth to really get to the core of anything tangible.
Similarly, the family's grief feels glossed over and inaccessible, detaching the story from any sympathy that the audience may have for any of the characters involved.
It is, however, compelling to watch Alice's secret life uncovered piece by piece.
And much in the way a good thriller does, the gradual build-up of suspense by allowing the audience to follow the little crumbs of information bit by bit keeps you interested enough to maintain your attention.
As for whether it cashes in on that at the end, sadly I don't think so.
You may get an 'oh that was a bit creepy' before you check to see if there are any chips left in the bag (*note: no, there aren't).
Some photos at the beginning of the credits may prolong that niggling sense of minor creepiness for a few moments too, so keep an eye out for those.
So long as you don't think too hard or expect too much, Lake Mungo is easy enough weekend viewing.