The Abandoned (2015)

Fantastic!

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Storyline a bit predictable but well executed. Acting is first rate and doesn't rely on jump scares.

I am a horror fan and in my opinion this movie was pretty original and suspenseful. Yes there were some clichés but the concept of the plot is something unique for the genre. It is about a young, troubled woman who is doing a night shift in an abandoned building, with her supervisor. And what should be a routine task, soon turns to be a living hell. There is a surprising twist at the end, but I will tell no more about the story, because I don't wanna write spoilers. The director did a great job and there were some decent scares. Jason Patric was solid, as expected, and Louisa Krause was very convincing in her role too, who was completely unknown to me before watching the movie. Overall I would recommend it to all the horror/thriller fans, it is not a masterpiece, but it is certainly worth the watch.

It is just possible that in Security Guard Cooper, Jason Patric plays one of the most obnoxious characters in modern cinema. He plays it to perfection - as he 'welcomes' new security guard Julia Streak (a fine performance from Louisa Krause), you are waiting for whatever dark creatures that may lurk in the shadows of the apartment complex they are patrolling to come and do their worst to this embittered, annoying wheelchair-bound character. He even suggests Streak change into her uniform in front of him, revealing a certain deviance.He is such a vile personality that it is almost a pity when he appears to soften as the various apparitions of scary faces in the darkness become more prevalent, especially as, at least initially, they aren't terribly frightening. His judgement appears to over-ride hers when a homeless man (Jim, played by Mark Margolis) begs to spend the night in the building, fearing he will die in the storm outside. Against Cooper's express wishes, Streak allows him into one of the vacant rooms. Luckily, there is a recorded documentary available for Streak and Cooper to watch, which explains how the building was a 'dumping ground' for deformed, mentally disturbed children many years ago, operating under-funded, by doctors who were being investigated for malpractice.As Streak threatens to close the place down, believing the spirits of the children are still present, Cooper reveals he knows her secret – she is mentally unstable and on a course of tablets: she should not be working in a high security job such as this. He handcuffs her to the cupboard in the observation room: perhaps he has not softened after all.The ending contains a twist. Freeing herself and travelling to the mysterious room where the children are sent as punishment, Streak confronts a young girl with a facial deformity – she hugs her and tells her "It's not your fault," which doesn't seem to signify anything. The doors open and appear to free Streak from the building. In what is a massive SPOILER (so beware): we then find that Streak has actually been in a coma all her adult life, and has just died. She is lying on a hospital bed. Her father is played by Jason Patric (who appears to have a security job, judging by his uniform). As the camera pulls away from her lifeless body, we see she has a facial deformity identical to the young girl in what appears to be her 'dream'. Outside her room is another patient, played by Mark Margolis. Was the 'not your fault' line directed at Streak's younger self, signifying she was abused by her father, or does the remark somehow refer to her deformity? Whether it all fits together with what we have seen and forms a satisfying conclusion is up to viewer discretion. Possibly it asks more questions than it answers. That revelatory confusion put to one side, this is an otherwise solid horror film, with some pedestrian scares and a fairly touching finale.

Dear Eytan Rockaway, your first full length feature film was a good effort. For the first one hour at least. The location (an old building with many claustrophobic corridors and impenetrable rooms) and the atmosphere were perfect for a horror film. A melancholic young woman (Louisa Krause) takes a job as a security guard at an empty old building with some spectacular architecture. Her interactions with her paraplegic and cynical colleague (a great Jason Patric) are the best parts of the film. The film is a great study of how the relationship between two people confined in a abandoned building engaged in stressful jobs develops over time. Some of Patric's dialogues and the way he delivered them were hilarious. The character reminded me of Jim Broadbent's in Art School Confidential. But the rather strange twist and some of the scares ruined the film towards the end. It was a shame because the first one hour was quite entertaining. But I would definitely watch more of your films. Best Regards, Pimpin. (6/10)