Megan is Missing (2011)

          2011
           UR

     It's an odd coincidence that I finally decided to give this movie a chance and then Fangoria covers it in a nicely sized article in their new issue. Way to go Fango! It looks like all the new changes have been paying off for the better over that way. It was a nice spread. Full of big, bright red gore, and I certainly agree that this film deserves a definite look from the Horror community.

     I have to admit, this film had been on my radar for quite some time, but the cover art just wasn't doing it for me. It looked so much like Paranormal Activity and claimed to be in the same first person style cinema verite' that it just didn't look worthy of the time, unless you were in the mood to watch Paranormal Activity or some very closely related ghost story. I knew there were a few quick rip-offs spawned after the original, and I really have no desire to see any of them at any time. And even though there were such strongly drawn comparisons drawn in my mind, at some point, I always returned to it, absent mindedly perusing the synopsis of the film and not much more. Finally, after many nights of many misses on many movies and watching old Hammer and Karloff classics to nurse the wounds of terrible Horror, I watched Megan is Missing.

     Megan is Missing is the type of Horror that will kick you in the gut and make no excuses for it. It is the type of Horror that no man nor woman should wish upon even their worst enemy. It is the type of Horror that lurks in the real world, in those corners that people dare not think about, but most of all, Megan is Missing is something that should be watched by anyone with a teen-aged daughter that is on the internet. It's a Horror a constantly try to remind people with children and the internet about. Unfortunately, many times on deaf and/or disbelieving ears. This is where Megan is Missing steps in. It's very much that powerful of a film, and deeply horrifying. I urge you to check out the webpage as well.

Synopsis:  Employing a mix of storytelling techniques (including webcam footage, video chats and dramatized news reports), this chillingly realistic thriller charts the disappearance of two teens who vanish three weeks apart under mysterious circumstances.

     The two lead girls of the film sell their roles perfectly, and there is the perfect balance of cheesiness and bad acting to make it all the more real. It looks to me that they even tried to find young actresses the exact age of the film characters to maintain authenticity. It all works to build a finely crafted tale of absolute terror. Truly, as the film has stated on the front of it's cover, "A film that deserves discussion." Check this one out Horror fans or if you have, tell us what you thought. This is one to watch.