Abandoned, The

Released by: Scream Factory/IFC Midnight
Released on: June 7, 2016
Directed by: Eytan Rockaway
Cast: Louisa Krause, Jason Patric, Mark Margolis, Henry Kelemen, Ezra Knight
Year: 2015
Purchase From Amazon

The Movie:

Julia Streak (Louisa Krause) has a history of mental problems, which has resulted in her mother gaining custody of her daughter. To regain custody, Streak has to prove that she's a fit parent. To that end, she takes a third-shift security job at an abandoned apartment building in a less-than-savory part of town. Her first night proves a challenge right from the start, as she's first accosted by an indigent man (Mark Margolis) in the taxi on the way there, and then has to contend with her angry coworker, Dennis Cooper (Jason Patric). Cooper insists that Streak isn't fit for the job and will go the way of the rest of his former coworkers. To prove herself, Streak tours the building alone (unaware that her partner, who sits next to her, is paraplegic). After a few false scares, she comes across a part of the building that is sealed off. Cooper warns her against investigating the area, but she breaks the lock anyway. Not helping matters any, she allows the indigent man who had attacked her earlier into the building, feeling sorry for him because of the cold and the rain.

Streak's explorations take a terrifying turn when she begins to hear children whispering and then sees a deformed boy in a deserted hallway. Inadvertently leaving the door to the confines open, she comes to believe that she has released an unspeakable evil; and when she learns that the building was once a hospital for deformed and insane children, many of whom were brutalized by their caregivers, she and Cooper must find a way to lock the evil spirits away once more.

The Abandoned made the film-festival circuit in 2015 before being picked up by IFC for a limited theatrical release in January of 2016. The film was directed by Eytan Rockaway and written by Ido Fluk from a story by Fluk and Rockaway. Cast in the lead roles were Jason Patric (The Lost Boys, 1987) and Louise Krause (The Babysitters, 2007). Character actor Mark Margolis was cast as the homeless man.

For the most part, The Abandoned is an entertaining, if ultimately dispensable, funhouse thriller. Rockaway and cinematographer Zack Galler manage to create some Corman-style tension as the camera prowls the grand apartment's sprawling corridors and stately ballrooms, zodiacal charts etched into marble floors. Most of the jump scares fall flat, but a couple—including the first shot of a ghostly, deformed child—work well, making up for those that don't. Other, more subtle shocks are considerably more effective. With a running time of approximately half an hour, the film doesn't overstay its welcome, and the performances are uniformly excellent. Margolis doesn't get enough work in the genre (check out his memorable turn as Felix Faust in a creepy episode of the comic book-inspired horror teleseries Constantine), while Patric is pitch perfect as the boorish, often insufferable Cooper. But it's Louisa Krause who takes away the real acting honors, betraying a hopeful but challenged young woman whose mental instability leads to her own undoing. Krause gives a subtle, nuanced performance as a woman in torment, desperate to do what it takes to get her daughter back, yet bound by a sense of compassion and duty.

Video/Audio/Extras:

Shout! Factory's Scream imprint has released The Abandoned on Blu-ray in 1080p high resolution with an AVC encode. The film is presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Given that the film was shot on hi-def digital video rather than film, there's a lack of inherent grain, though the film still manages to look somewhat filmlike. Detail is good if not great and is most pronounced in people's faces. Much of the sets are smooth and largely free of the kind of lines that can make detail pop. This is also a dark film; it takes place almost entirely at night in a location where the lights are either off or dimmed considerably. Color is purposely drained for dramatic effect, resulting in an almost amber hue to most of the proceedings. This neither detracts from nor enhances the film's horror bona fides. Black levels are generally deep, with little serious crush. All in all, the visuals are a few notches above DVD but not quite what one expects from the Blu-ray format.

Shout! has provided viewers of the disc with two sound options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. If you have a surround system, the 5.1 option is your best bet, as it presents the film's original soundtrack with a nice, directional mix. The only problem is that the sound levels range a little too much; dialogue is much lower than the sound effects, resulting in the aural shocks being too loud and distracting. The remote is therefore needed to adjust the sound levels to ensure that the dialogue can be heard without the sound effects blowing your eardrums (or your speakers). There are two subtitle options: English for the deaf and hearing impaired and Spanish for Spanish-language speakers.

There are a couple of notable extras, including two deleted scenes amounting to about 2 minutes of footage. The first of these seems fairly pointless, and while the second gives us additional information about Streak's character, it was probably best left on the cutting room floor. A much more interesting extra is the alternate ending (3:24), which considerably alters the relationship between Streak and Cooper from the original. Rounding out the film-specific extras is the original theatrical trailer (1:52).

Included are hi-def trailers for Baskin (2015), Submerged (2015), and Cabin Fever (2016).

The Final Word:

The Abandoned may not be a future horror classic, but it's a decent time filler, one with a generally good transfer and a moderate amount of detail. Performances are its strongest point, and Rockaway's direction recalls some of director Roger Corman's and cinematographer Floyd Crosby's most striking work in the '60s. Sound levels are a little problematic but nothing that can't be overcome by keeping the remote in hand. Extras include deleted scenes, an alternate ending, and the film's original theatrical trailer.

Christopher Workman is a freelance writer, film critic, and co-author (with Troy Howarth) of the Tome of Terror horror film review series. Volume 2 of that series (covering the 1930s), is currently available, with Volume 1 (covering the silent era) due out later this year.

Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!