You need to watch the found footage classic, Lake Mungo

"Found footage movies are tough to pull off. For every classic like The Blair Witch Project or Rec, there are 100 movies like Slender and Megan Is Missing that are, at best, forgettable, and at worst, an affront to the very concept of cinema. My personal favorite, though, is Lake Mungo, a slow burn mokumentary with found footage elements that manages to be both creepy and emotionally wrenching. Oh, and it's gloriously concise at under an hour and a half."

"Lake Mungo is, first and foremost, one of the most convincingly realized mokumentaries ever made. If you told someone it was a legit documentary about a supposed haunting, there's a chance they'd believe you. The style is spot-on, the performances pitch-perfect, and it never overreaches. Other horror films in this style eventually go too far, resorting to bombast, like the BBC's Ghostwatch (which is also excellent). But Lake Mungo remains understated, even when it shows purported footage of a ghost."

Found footage films are difficult to execute effectively, often producing forgettable or offensive examples alongside rare classics. Lake Mungo exemplifies a successful, slow-burn mockumentary that mixes found footage elements with emotional depth. The film runs under ninety minutes and creates a convincingly realized documentary style with pitch-perfect performances and restrained direction. The film avoids bombast common to the genre and remains understated even when presenting purported supernatural footage. Lake Mungo balances creepiness with heartbreak, offering a concise, emotionally wrenching horror experience. Director and writer Joel Anderson has not helmed another feature since but has continued working in the film industry.

Read at The Verge