The Abandoned

The Abandoned was one of the After Dark Horrorfest’s “8 movies to die for” In 2006 and was easily my favorite. This is another fine example of how supernatural horror is much more satisfying to view than a hack-fest a la Rob Zombie.

Marie Jones, a 40 year old Russian woman by birth, but was adopted and raised in the U.K. and the U.S. since infancy. She is summoned to Russia by a notary who has found her late birth parents and the house she has inherited. He denies any other family members and provides her with a driver who will take her to the remote island her family house is located. Marie and the driver, Anatoli, arrive at night to the house, Anatoli leaves the truck to investigate the safety of the forest before Marie and leave the vehicle. He fails to return. Frightened, Marie leaves the truck to look for him in the house. She hears the truck start up and drive off leaving her alone in the dilapidated house.

Marie soon begins to see a frightening figure in the house which is revealed to be a drowned version of herself. She flees the house and falls into the surrounding river awakens in a room with a strange man. This man is revealed to be her twin brother Nikolai who is also seeing a walking corpse of himself.

The two try to flee the house, only to find that they cannot escape the house in which they were born. They become separated and haunted by their doubles. With visions of the house’s past, their history an their fate is revealed.

This was a uniquely crafted horror film with a new spin on the standard ghost story and how destiny and fate is unavoidable.