Megan Is Missing Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

Megan Is Missing Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown January 24, 2024

It should be noted from the start that as much as I did not appreciate Megan Is Missing as its filmmakers intended, the movie has at least one fierce advocate: Mark Klaas, founder of the KlaasKids Foundation and father of Polly Klaas, a 12-year-old girl from California who was abducted, assaulted and murdered in 1993. He says, "Megan is Missing is a powerful, important film that deserves both attention and discussion. It should serve as a wake-up call for parents everywhere." So, with that in mind...

When does a horror movie go too far? When does decency give way to bad taste? And where is the line that stops a filmmaker from pushing an audience beyond fiction, past the point of no return? These are the questions Michael Goi's Megan Is Missing will leave viewers asking, but for all the wrong reasons. Not because he offers a thoughtful plot by which to explore such ideas. Not because his approach to his chosen subject matter is so necessary and meaningful as a cautionary tale that he needs to go as far as he does. And not because Megan Is Missing is a film designed to protect teenagers from falling prey to a predator. I don't think it is. Goi wants it to be. But there's a line, and it's a fine one. Instead of functional, groundbreaking found-footage horror, this plays instead like thoughtless exploitation of very real, very deviant criminal behavior for the sake of boundary-obliterating genre moviemaking. Is an exploitative tone worth the message behind it all? That's the real question.

Megan Is Missing tells the (fictional) found footage "true story" of the disappearance of 14-year-old Megan Stewart and her best friend, Amy Herman. Comprised of video chats, webcam footage, home videos and news reports, the film unfolds with a realism writer/director Michael Goi hopes clues audiences into the very real threats that exist in the teenage world. Megan Is Missing stars Amber Perkins, Rachel Quinn, Dean Waite, Jael Elizabeth Steinmeyer and Kara Wang.

First things first. Megan Is Missing offers the ever reliable "based on a true story" blurb at the outset. But no need to Google. It's neither true nor is its found-footage content comprised of any "real" footage. (Thank God.) That's not to dismiss the fact that there are genuine groomings, cat-fishings, kidnappings and killings happening around the world, with all too real sick-o's preying on gullible teens and luring them into awful, sometimes life-threatening situations. It exists, and it's a problem that deserves as much attention as can be given. To that end, Goi deserves some credit, if we're to take the film on its merit and extend good will to the filmmaker, accepting his claim that Megan Is Missing is a cautionary tale meant to educate teenagers and parents rather than to titillate or exploit tragic events for cheap frights. And for the better part of an hour, I'd even argue that's what Goi is up to.

Then... well, then it all takes a turn; one I wasn't particularly happy to endure or experience. I'm all for a good scare. The more convincing the better. But there's something to Megan Is Missing I can't quite put my finger on. The synopsis reads, "there’s no way to tell the story of the disappearance of 14-year-old Megan Stewart without descending into the very heart of depravity and despair", and I think there very much is. Goi may take us to the heart of depravity and despair, but the lungs, maybe the ribs, even the liver... any would have sufficed. The heart? Missing is an effective film that actually goes a step too far, with more than twenty minutes from the killer's perspective; "documenting" some truly unnerving acts and allowing the camera to linger on things no one needs to see, cautionary tale or no. Implied horror can be so much more effective anyway. There's no nudity, but Goi crosses every other line, some of which are far, far worse lines than a naked body. (A three-minute rape is the literal "climax" of the film -- felt gross just typing that -- followed by a conclusion involving the fate of the girls that would have been more powerful on its own, with sexual assault merely being suggested rather than shown at length.

Goi is walking a fine line, I'll be the first to admit. And it's probably difficult to determine where the line is; how far to go; where to stop, where to push, where to retreat. But there's very little retreat here, and too much direct assault on the eyes. I'm sure some might applaud the illusion and seeming reality of it all. I just felt... gross. Like I needed a shower. And, without making any accusation, it felt like the filmmakers enjoyed what they were committing to film, if only in the "oh man, we're going to push audiences so far!" high-five kinda way. It doesn't help that Megan and Amy are a bit too unlikable; not enough to lose sympathy but enough to make our introduction and following of the girls irritating. If you're the person in the theater doing everything you can not to shout "don't go in there", you're gonna need a muzzle for Megan Is Missing because these girls aren't particularly bright. I know, I know. Teens are dumb sometimes. Still. Taken as a whole, it's certainly an effective horror movie. A good horror movie? Not by my standards. More polish, better dialogue, more clever and intentionally careful editing, and a sharper idea than girls-get-kidnapped/girls-get-killed would have gone a long way towards making Megan Is Missing the right kind of memorable.

Megan Is Missing Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Megan Is Missing remains true to its found-footage trappings, meaning the film's 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer looks pretty rough at times... as it's meant to. Clearly high definition but clearly mimicking amateur photography, which always makes for a tricky critical experience. Are we grading the subjective quality of the imagery? Or the objective quality of the encode? And how does one evaluate a technical presentation that is intentionally littered with the issues that would typically result in a low score? Banding, blocking, unsightly noise, fluctuating grain, inconsistencies in color and contrast: it's all present and accounted for. As far as I can tell, there isn't anything out of sorts, and even if there were, it would simply contribute to the overall intended effect of the cinematography. Add to that a complete lack of Steadicam (other than when cameras like webcams are mounted) and you have visuals designed, from the ground up, to put viewers through the ringer. (Particularly in the final twenty minutes.) With all that in mind, Megan Is Missing's Blu-ray release can't really be faulted for its image quality. This is the movie as it was meant to be seen.

Megan Is Missing Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

I suppose the same argument could be made for Megan Is Missing's lossy 192kbps Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track. It's true to its source elements and enhances the illusion of a film comprised of found footage. But the lack of lossless audio is an odd decision, and feels more like a shoulder shrug of an oversight than a compelling aspect of the production. Dialogue is decently prioritized at least, clarity only dips when situations on screen dictate muffled or distorted audio, effects are fairly clear, and nothing seems especially out of sorts.

Megan Is Missing Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentaries - Two audio commentaries have been ported over from the 2012 DVD: the first featuring producer Mark Gragnani and actresses Rachel Quinn & Amber Perkins, the second a more informative track with writer/director Michael Goi.

• Deleted Scene and Blooper - Two quick scenes. Although whoever thought we needed a blooper for a film like Megan Is Missing should get their tone deafness checked.

• Marc Klaasʼs Statement - Klaas, founder of the KlaasKids Foundation and the father of Polly Klaas, a 12-year-old girl who was abducted, molested and murdered in California in 1993, offers praise for the film.

• Newly Produced Features - A number of new extras that were never released on DVD are available here, some of which are newly produced altogether. Content includes "Rachel Quinn: A Look Back at Megan Is Missing", original audition footage of Amber Perkins and Nikki Christie, additional audition footage for the "Barrel Scene", a location tour featurette, a photo gallery, and the film's shooting script.

• Megan Is Missing Trailer

Megan Is Missing Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Is it worth it? Your mileage will vary. For someone like Mark Klaas, I'm sure Megan Is Missing is the sort of thing he wishes his family had seen prior to his daughter's kidnapping. (Although would he, prior to such a tragedy, have allowed his daughter to watch? I highly doubt it.) As a horror fan, and someone who understands the danger lurking in the real world, I'm not sure what I watched involved lines I needed to "see" being crossed, no matter what point was meant to be driven home. The Blu-ray is a bit all over the place too. The video presentation really leans into the found footage aesthetic, the audio options are limited to a lossy stereo track, and the supplements, while numerous, don't amount to much (at least beyond the two audio commentaries, where the most value can be found). It's available at a bargain price. It's truly frightening and disturbing. If convincing torture, rape and murder is high on your horror list, well, you found an effective one in Megan Is Missing.