It seems appropriate to call the controversial found footage horror picture Megan Is Missing a traumatic rite of passage. After all, it’s a feature film that thoroughly rattled viewers who endeavored to see it during its initial release and continues to evoke similar reactions from anyone going in without the benefit of context regarding the flick’s decidedly unsavory reputation. It has quite a storied reputation, indeed. Case in point: Megan Is Missing is banned in New Zealand and has claimed its place as a meme in the pop culture pantheon, resurfacing periodically as a TikTok challenge where users attempt to endure the film and then share their horrified reactions after the fact.
With such an infamous reputation, you might be wondering if Megan Is Missing is worth enduring. There’s no easy answer to that question, but we will do our best to give you an informed rundown on what to expect and an idea as to where the controversy stems from.
Why Is Megan Is Missing So Controversial?
Writer/director Michael Goi (who has since directed episodes of Swamp Thing and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) envisioned the film as a cautionary tale about the dangers of the Internet and the unsavory characters that lurk in its darkest corners. In bringing his vision to life, the filmmaker makes what some regard as a number of questionable decisions. More on that shortly.
The flick follows Megan (Rachel Quinn) and her best friend Amy (Amber Perkins), a pair of teenage girls with unfettered access to the Internet and a penchant for meeting boys in chat rooms. When Megan sets out to meet a young man named Josh (Dean Waite), she vanishes without a trace. When Amy goes looking for her best friend, she quickly learns that Josh is not who he claims to be online.
Goi often paints the titular character, who is only 14, as hyper-sexualized. With that said, some think the filmmaker’s aim is to open people’s eyes and sound the alarm, rather than to glorify or sensationalize the picture’s decidedly gritty themes.
Goi seems well aware of the triggering nature of his film, and based on some of his statements, it appears that his heart may have been in the right place. When the flick found new life after going viral on TikTok in 2020, Perkins, who plays Amy, reached out to Goi to let him know what was happening. His response suggests that he understands how upsetting the film is and wants people to experience it in the right headspace. He took to TikTok to make a video of his own, saying as much.
“I didn’t get to give you the customary warnings that I used to give people before they watched Megan Is Missing, which are: do not watch the movie in the middle of the night, do not watch the movie alone,” Goi began. “And if you see the words ‘photo number one’ pop up on your screen, you have about four seconds to shut off the movie if you’re already kind of freaking out before you start seeing things that maybe you don’t want to see.”
When Goi suggests the film features things you may not want to see, he isn’t putting you on. This gritty picture features graphic sexual abuse of a minor, grooming, persistent depictions of teenage sexuality, and so much more. Seeing all of that through a found footage lens makes the proceedings even more immersive, positioning the viewer as an unwitting participant in the unpleasantness portrayed throughout.
Despite all the controversy, some have called attention to Megan Is Missing as a noteworthy portrayal of the evils of the Internet, which may well serve to build awareness similarly to the stranger danger mantra that parents drill into their children’s heads at an impressionable age.
With that said, the subject matter is so grim, so dark, so grisly, and so disturbing that it may be too adult for the average teenager. However, if you are a parent with teen children, this may be an eye-opening experience for you. Just make sure to bear Goi’s warning (outlined above) in mind.
If you decide to check the film out for yourself, you can make up your own mind where you stand. Is Megan Is Missing the cautionary tale that Goi intended? Or is it “likely to be injurious to the public good,” as the New Zealand Office of Film and Literature Classification suggests? We can’t answer those questions for you, however, we can say that the film is a traumatic rite of passage that lives in infamy as a viral meme.
Make sure to let us know where you stand on this ultra-controversial effort in the comments section below.
You can presently watch Megan Is Missing on Tubi.
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