Absentia

An early film from Director Mike Flanagan, ABSENTIA is about sisters Tricia (Courtney Bell) and Callie (Catherine Parker). Tricia has finally decided to have her missing husband declared dead in absentia, after 7 years. Unfortunately, it's not that simple, and bizarre circumstances unfold that point to something far more sinister than a disappearance.

Dark, mysterious, and, in spots, terrifying, this low budget film is evidence of what can be accomplished with some imagination and talent. While there are no big special effects, there is a well-written story, as well as great acting from the principal characters.

The strained yet close relationship between Tricia and Callie feels authentic, and their dialogue is natural / unforced. This makes the otherworldly threat they face seem more real, and in the end, more devastating. Ultimately, this is a tale of love and tragic loss, accentuated by horror. There's a tie-in to folklore that helps to flesh things out.

Creepy, disturbing, and satisfying...

ABSENTIA marks a refreshing change for the low budget horror genre; there are no lame zombies here or psycho killers torturing their nubile victims. Instead, this is a sweeping, Lovecraftian episode in creeping terror, a subtle production where it's all about what you don't see rather than what you do. There are few clichés or stock jump scenes here, just originality shining through instead.

The entire movie is set around a creepy haunted subway and it's here that the director really shines. Mike Flanagan knows what works when it comes to building a sense of unease and undefined tension on the screen and a wonderfully evocative score really adds to the experience. Some viewers may be put off by the fact that the film's just too subtle in places - it could easily be described as one of those movies where "nothing much happens", like THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT - but like BLAIR WITCH it knows what it's doing.

There are flaws here, not least a slightly overwrought script and some particularly unsympathetic characters who do little to gain the viewer's sympathy or indeed attention. Courtney Bell is saddled with the most uninteresting part, although at least Katie Parker's character has a little more conflict with her druggie background. Still, ABSENTIA is a film where the characters come a distinct second in comparison to the genuine suspense and fear built up elsewhere. Watch out for a creepy cameo from Doug Jones.

This somber yet deeply unsettling film managed to give me the willies even in the less-than-ideal Horrorhound Weekend screening.

Not soon after a pregnant woman (Katie Parker) declares her missing husband (Morgan Peter Brown) legally dead, she begins to having terrifying visions that hint that maybe she spoke too quickly. Writer/director Flanagan pulls off an incredible feat with this film. He manages to reinvent the ghost story, then takes it to an unexpected, even creepier place.

Don't be fooled by the show-burn pacing, because the almost-suffocating tension had me squirming in my seat, forgetting to breathe.

It's been almost a year since I've seen ABSENTIA. What haunts me most is not the disturbing visuals or even the deeply unsettling story line. It's the mood. When I simply think about the title, I hear in my head its stark, two-note funeral organ score and my chest wells up with emotions not usually incurred by watching a horror movie: grief, loss and perhaps the most terrifying of all…the dread of inevitability.

Toss in a pitch perfect cast, including a heart-wrenching cameo from the always delicious Doug Jones, and BOOM! You've got my favorite horror movie of 2011.

I do not really understand why the average rate of Absentia is so low. Well, maybe I do understand, if you watch this horror with the expectations that you get a fast paced gore filled typical horror movie, you will be disappointed. Absentia is a slow one, and it basically has no real gore. So just skip it if that's what you are going for, and save this little gem the downrates which it really doesn't deserve.

Now, that having sad, Absentia has something different to offer. It's not per say in the storyline itself, which, when you read it, doesn't seem too original. What it's got to offer is mainly in the mood. The soundtrack, which is relatively minimum, really adds to the claustrophobic and depressing atmosphere. The acting is well done, realistic and believable, and the characters are well worked out and take the plot to a higher level. There are some weird things in the plot that make you wonder what is really going on. It gives the perfect sense of mystery, never fully explaining it, but definitely enough to leave you satisfied.

I found Absentia more of an experience, though it doesn't come short to the story at all. Things may or may not make sense, and you might wonder a couple of times how much comes to perception and how much of it is really happening, it doesn't take anything away from the story or from the mood. It only adds to it.

I was a bit reluctant when I put the DVD into my player but all my doubts faded away within the first minutes. The movie is perfectly shot, everything just works really really well. I am very pleasantly surprised and think it certainly belongs to one of the best horror movies of 2011.

The only bad thing I have to say about it is that a few times I found it hard to follow the dialogue (mumbling) and had to rewind to listen to it again.

Watch it if you get the chance, and if you like horror which crawls deeply under your skin. Do not watch it if you want action and gore.

Last night, with not much fare on cable, I decided to watch Absentia. A recent horror film by Mike Flanagan.

First off let me start by saying that horror is my favorite genre. Not your "slasher" flicks though… but well crafted Gothic horror like Robert Wise's original THE HAUNTING.

Creepy atmospheric films that get you thinking and make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

You can read the synopsis here on IMDb, so I won't go into that. As far as reviews go, Variety couldn't have said it any better! (http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117945387/)

The low budget only proves that a cool story, some nice direction, well paced editing and a more than capable cast don't need to come from a big Hollywood studio… and they rarely do these days!

At times the scares are so subtle (ala the cult classic B film, "Let's Scare Jessica to Death") you won't believe your own eyes. Is Daniel really there or a figment of his wife's (played brilliantly I might add by Courtney Bell) imagination?.

The real standout here though is Mike Flanagan, the writer/director.

I await his next project with great anticipation! 8 out of 10 stars!

PS-Notice some of the character references to some horror director icons. Carpenter, Del Toro, Romero... :)