Abigail Haunting
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Written by: Charisma Manulat , Kelly Schwarze | Directed by: Kelly Schwarze | Genre: Horror , thriller , mystery |
| Katie ( Chelsea Jurkiewicz ) is a tomboy dating a bad boy. When we’re introduced to the couple, it’s during the end of their relationship and in an extreme way, Katie ends things. But now she has to disappear for a while and decides that her foster home would be a great vanishing destination. Her foster mother Marge ( Brenda Daly ) has never been a people person according to Katie, so a warm welcome is not expected. What she gets though, is a woman on the verge of a total mental collapse. All she seems to do is sit in her own filth and watch television. At first she barely even noticed Katie and only after a short time acknowledges she is home. Not in the usual way either, instead Marge seems to sneer and ramble a lot. Her character by herself is enough to give anyone goosebumps. Strange things begin happening, little things that Katie barely notices and her mother’s hospitality is getting less and less. She even locks Katie out of the house allowing her to meet Walter ( Michael Monteiro ) who is basically Marge’s caretaker and friend. Although he doesn’t seem to actually communicate with her much. Then there’s Brian ( Austin Collazo ) who has known Katie since childhood, and shares a unique connection with her. It’s when Brian’s kid encounters ‘the ghost’ that things really start picking up with this movie. The supernatural occurrences go from eeny-weeny to full scale from this point on until the end of the film.
The ghost in question isn’t just around the house; it follows her wherever Katie goes now that she’s reintroduced to it. Brian thinks at first Katie is losing her mind, but by the end of the movie is a true believer. The ghost has a connection to Katie that isn’t revealed until almost the end of the film, and when her past comes back to haunt her, “Abigail Haunting” is in full swing. Come to think of it, Katie’s past comes back to haunt her in more than 1 way but we’ll keep this review as spoiler free as possible. “Abigail Haunting” is a slower paced movie relying on an ever building sense of dread. Long camera shots that stick around slightly longer than normal, and a much more relaxed edit make for some grim moments. This isn’t a happy film and it neither looks or sounds like one. It’s a grim and gritty story that would be sad even if not for the ghost. The acting is good enough to keep things interesting and what sets this film apart from others is the character building. There’s a lot more time adding layers of depth to Katie, Brian, and the rest of the crew than there is ‘actual’ ghosts. This kind of storytelling adds a bit of depth to the run of the mill horror story. I also want to point out that this micro-budget film looks really nice. This isn’t a hand-held camera film; the creators actually spent the time to light, frame, and execute the shots. The higher production value look really elevates this film making it look anything but independent. Should you happen across this movie by accident, you probably wouldn’t know it’s a micro budget film. This isn’t an action movie. It’s not super fast paced but relies on the characters and story to move from scene to scene. There are some cool effects, mainly when writing about the ‘ghost’ but “Abigail Haunting” doesn’t forget what it is. An atmospheric chiller that grows on you. Thank you for reading and this film comes highly recommended. Find this title online |
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