Dubbed the ‘Audience Favorite’ of last November’s experimental After Dark Horrorfest, today sees a secondary theatrical release of Nacho Cerda’s The Abandoned.  For those who missed the film during its brief stint across the country last year, today is a day of redemption.

My glowing review is here, but for those looking for the short of it, The Abandoned is the most refreshing horror film of ‘06.  Its atmosphere is crushing, striking a perfect equilibrium between the psychological haunt of Session 9 and the perpetual creep of a Silent Hill game.  Dopplegangers are rarely this fascinating in a plot, the only other exception I can think of being the decisively non-horror Primer.  And the man behind the camera is a true, rare talent who dominates the medium.  Hell, if he can turn the most disturbing short film ever made into an undeniable work of art, he can damn well transform a Russian house into a place of nightmares.

The acting is crisp, the effects profound and the sound mix rib shattering.  Even if you don’t gel with it as naturally as I did, its heart pumping power can’t be questioned.

See this movie.  It may or may not be playing at your normal theater, but it should be within driving distance.  Go.

Official Site
Red Band Trailer