The Abandoned

Introduction

Marie (Anastasia Hille), who was adopted as a baby, is told by her lawyer (Valentin Ganev) that her biological mother's body has been found and hands her the deeds to a farmhouse in Russia. She has inherited a forbidding building in a remote location and goes there to see the property and find out what happened to her mother.

Once there she meets Nicolai (Karel Roden), who claims to be her twin brother. He has information about their past which allays her initial scepticism and they set about exploring the property.

As if being in an isolated, run-down farmhouse in the middle of Russia wasn't bad enough, Nicolai and Marie begin to see their own ghosts and experience disturbing temporal shifts. Are they seeing their past or their future and can it be changed?

Video

The anamorphic 2.35:1 transfer is excellent, much of the film taking place in the dark with no detriment to the definition. The effects are very good, working well and adding to the atmosphere.

Audio

The Dolby Digital 5.1 English soundtrack certainly lets you know where your surrounds are, with some loud jumps and satisfying atmospherics.

There are well written and clear English HoH subtitles, though I spotted 'wondering' for 'wandering'.

Extra Features

Trailers for The Tripper and Standing Still precede the main menu, but are skippable. The only features are the Theatrical Trailer and a 13 minute 'Making Of' which is acceptable EPK fare.

Conclusion

With so many remakes and re-hashings of established conventions, it's refreshing to see a horror film where you're not quite sure what's happening and which direction it's going to take. It's hard to say too much without spoiling the film, so I'll err on the side of caution and just recommend it for someone who likes a good scare: there's tension, jolts, gore, mystery and an ending that demands a repeat viewing.