Megan is Missing Review

I caught this one on Netflix this week, after having a friend recommend it. I believe his words were "the ending hit me pretty hard"...folks, if by "hard" he meant it hit him in the stomach with a sledgehammer, then believe me, I'm right there with him. For parents, this is one of the most horrifying films ever made. I still shudder when I think back on it.

Megan is missing starts off not at all unlike what I imagine most of the programming MTV currently runs would be like if HBO had aired it first. The main characters are the wildly popular and apparently promiscuous Megan, and her less than popular bff Amy. Megan is the cliche party girl, pretty but in constant need of attention/affection to make up for a less than ideal home life, and Amy is the exact opposite, a quiet girl, not as attractive, goes to the party but hangs out on the wall, perfect home life, and so on. The two of them web chat constantly. I mean CONSTANTLY. After meeting a new guy on the internet, who claims to be from a different school, Megan mysteriously disappears. When days pass without a word, Amy begins to fear the worst and begins to search for her. Little does she know, the worst is yet to come.

I'm not going to lie to you and say this is a good movie. It's pretty goddamn annoying for the first hour or so, unless of course you enjoy listening to teenage girls chat about the things that teenage girls chat about. There are some pretty graphic conversations between Amy and Megan, most of which seems a bit unnecessary as I already knew that Megan was clearly the product of a bad upbringing. I didn't need to be beat over the head with all these stories of the horrible things she'd been through. Still, I suppose for the intended viewing audience this proved to be entertaining and maybe existed to hold attention. If you manage to stick with it through all that though, as previously mentioned the ending packs quite a punch. There are two scenes in this movie that literally made me queasy. What makes this film so effective is that stuff like this happens every day.

THIS is the film that should be shown to any and every parent who has a teenager with internet access. If this doesn't scare the shit out of you, then maybe you need to take a look at the relationship you have with your child a little closer. For those of us whose children are our entire lives, this movie will stick with us way past the credits rolling. As mentioned this one is on Netflix, and while I can't recommend it for everyone, I urge parents to give it a watch. It's not a "horror" film in the typical movie standard, but I can honestly tell you it's one of the scariest things I've seen in years.