The Abandoned – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
The Abandoned – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
“An American woman searching for her birth parents learns she has inherited a house in the middle of a forest in a remote area of Russia. It is the house where she was born. Abandoned and uninhabited for 40 years, it stands in total disrepair and neglect. What she finds is more than an old house. She meets a mysterious man claiming to be her twin brother and together they find the house holds dangerous secrets to a past they don’t even remember. They are forced to relive a series of horrifying events and shocking murders that occurred just after they were born, and in the place where they were supposed to die.”
Again we have a dark and gloomy house in the middle of nowhere and a woman who wants to “check things out”. She meets up with a man who is supposed to be her twin brother and together the see visions of their own murders and the murder of their parents. But that’s not all, they meet up with their own zombies or doppelgangers and now they have to prevent their own deaths.
Each one begins to see hallucinations and begins to reveal the full picture of how their father murdered their mother right after they were born. There are some creepy scenes and the zombies look scary and demonic.
But like so many of the others in this series the ending is just plain weird. It doesn’t really seem to make sense. Is she stuck in a time warp and history is repeating itself? Is she consumed by the events of the house and the fact she was never supposed to survive?
Although confusing and a little thin on plot the movie has a decent tone and the house is a great prop to use to set the mood. There is some gore and violence but pretty tame by today’s standards. It’s worth checking out to complete the series and shows promise for future ventures, but not destined to be a classic…
Other Articles of Interest:
- Reincarnation – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
- The Hamiltons – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
- Penny Dreadful – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
- Wicked Little Things – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
- Unrest – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
- The Gravedancers – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
- Dead Silence – Rating 3 out of 5
- Deer Woman – Masters of Horror – Rating 4 out of 5
- Dark Ride – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
- An American Haunting – Rating 2 out of 5
Dark Ride – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
Dark Ride – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
Nearly a decade after two young girls are brutally murdered, the monstrous killer, Jonah, escapes from a mental institution and returns to his familiar killing ground, the theme park attraction "Dark Ride." His unfortunate victims this time are a group of college kids on a road trip that inevitably leads them to the Dark Ride where their night of youthful fun becomes a nightmare. The killer, who is mimicking the sets within the attraction, makes sure this is a "ride" audiences will never forget.
Why you would want to spend the night in an amusement park is beyond me, but that’s the story we’re given. A group of teens go on a road trip and as part of their excitement decide to spend the night in an amusement park where two young girls were murdered years ago.
Despite the rather odd nature of the set up we have plenty of opportunities for scares because of the odd lighting, crazy props and things jumping out during the ride.
We also have another clichéd part of the horror genre, while making their way to the Dark Ride they pick up a hitchhiker. A young woman with an overactive imagination and some “people” issues. Her little rant in the van when she first gets in is classic in its insanity.
So after introducing the “unknown element” it’s off to the Dark Ride and the scene of the crime. Of course there is someone else there and everyone’s lives are now in danger as the madman Jonah sets his sights on some new victims. In a wild and completely unexplained rampage he begins to dispatch the teens one by one. Again, the ride makes a good setting with all of its flashing lights and “jumping” props.
But just because there is trouble all around that doesn’t mean we can sneak in a sex scene and a chance to show off the hitchhikers tits (even though they are pretty nice). Nothing like taking time out to get a blow job while you’re friends are being dispatched in the other room. Of course this one ends in a pretty gruesome manner.
This movie starts off well and although a bizarre and rather senseless plot it could work. But the movie gets silly and cliché and it’s basically Friday the 13th in an amusement park.
But the real problem is there is no point to this movie. In the end when everything is revealed – the killer has his soliloquy you have no idea why any of this happened. All of this was just because he was a madman?
I wasn’t all that impressed by the end of the movie thinking the writers had run out of ideas and went with the old standby. There isn’t anything new in this movie, the gore is pretty minimal and there are some amusing bits.
It’s worth renting since it’s part of the series, but it could have been a lot better.
Other Articles of Interest:
- Penny Dreadful – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
- Reincarnation – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
- Unrest – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
- Wicked Little Things – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
- The Gravedancers – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
- The Hamiltons – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
- Kevin Bacon comes to the small screen in The Following
- Exorcist III – Ranking 3 out of 5
- Hannibal – S01E08
- The Abandoned – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
Recent Comments