User reviews

Quite enjoyed this great Brit film. Although there are Horror elements, I did not find them to be scary or creepy enough for my high standards of Horror definition. That said, there are definitely some moments that are a bit creepy but there is so much more going on in this film than silly "BOO!" moments. A refreshing storyline that explores much more than shown simply in the trailer (missing, possible dead child), there are instances of bullying, single-parent family dynamics, the question of faith, the depravity and sadness of those in mental institutions, possible mental illness...this film has a bit of it all. You will be questioning different people and situations throughout the film which I find particularly engaging and enticing in Thrillers that we do not always get to see. Watching it a second time is recommended...sometimes we miss certain important elements. The backdrop of the film's location reminded me of industrial Manchester and the people live in the area (common amongst London or other urban suburbs). The ending was not quite what I expected, but that is neither good nor bad. I can't say much more without revealing "spoilers"...

Definitely worth watching.

Well acted, nicely shot, and with a solid score, this is a decent feature. It's only real flaws are an extremely derivative, and occasionally confused, plot; and some slightly clumsy dialogue at times.

It looks good, without being spectacular, which entirely suits its council estate setting. Combined with excellent performances from the leads, it could almost work as a pure kitchen sink drama. Despite not being given much to say, Harry Treadaway and Greg Wise are a convincingly troubled father and son. The support is also broadly good; Tom Felton is particularly notable.

The troubles come with the exasperatingly unoriginal plot - it borrows and from a whole selection of similar films. The good news is that it does choose some of the best to steal from; the trouble that it isn't good enough to stand up to these classics. However, it holds together well, at least until the latter stages, when a few too many extraneous ingredients are thrown into the pot.

Broadly, a decent effort if not outstanding. Given the mechanics, I would be interested to see future work from the team behind it - they just need some more original ideas to start with.

A gritty council estate drama about a missing kid, with the usual run of domestic violence, hoodie gangs, street crime, beatings, social workers and creepy adults. It's down to earth and realistic, eliciting decent performances from its mostly teenage cast; Harry Treadaway is particularly good as the boy grieving for his lost brother. Unfortunately, though, this story is very familiar (URBAN GHOST STORY is just one of the many others I remember doing the same kind of thing), and it doesn't have a great deal to differentiate it from the rest.

It's gently haunting for the most part, with the ghost story taking the form of snatched visions, unexplained domestic events and a general feeling of suspense and foreboding. The sub-plot involving a medium and her young girl was very well done, I thought, and the twist ending is undeniably powerful (if very familiar, considering all the other films ploughing the same furrow). Cast nods go to Tom Felton (Harry Potter's Malfoy) playing a refreshingly non-magical teen for once, Ros Leeming as the poignant love interest and Alex Jennings (who some may remember from Children's BBC's ALFONSO BONZO) as a kindly vicar.

After suffering a mental breakdown following the disappearance of his younger brother, Matt is released from the hospital and tries to get back to a sense of normalcy. However, his father blames him and Matt's own guilt continues to haunt him. Before long, visions of his brother begin to plague him as well. Is it just Matt having another breakdown, or is his brother really appearing to him?

This interesting British horror works as a sort of old school mystery by way of ghost story. The overall feel of the film is very ominous from the start. Matt, previously a happy teen, is now alienated and deeply troubled. He meets a girl who lives next door, herself a rather distant sort. Some of the ghostly encounters with the brother are typical. Other bits, like a scene with a psychic, are eerie and add to the intrigue of the picture. One major aspect of the story is easily telegraphed. Another, not so much. The climactic scenes are strong, the ending suitably somber. While the film falls back on certain clichés at times, it's still an effective slice of ghostly horror that packs a nice bit of emotional resonance.

Just give it a go if you like this genre ! The raw talent of Harry is so evident and the story is interesting. The story is something you will have seen before, but it is worthy a watch. The setting in the council estate adds to the atmosphere!

I liked the start of this movie, I really did. It got my attention, and drew me in with a really strong suspense and drama feel of old school horror, supernatural, suspense, psycho murder. I really didn't know which way it was going to go, it could have been really great at just about any twist, the beginning was really that good.

But then, it slowed down, just as it should have ramped up. And got more and more convoluted (not confusing, convoluted in a totally boring way), and just finished with this sad, flat, boring sort of end. I wasn't scared, I didn't care about the lead character anymore because I was so bored with him, I just wanted it to end, and it went on and on and on and on... This REVIEW is boring and sucks, and the movie inspired that, it was boring and sucked.

The Disappeared is about Matthew Ryan, who keeps getting haunted by the disappearance of his younger brother Tom. He has visions and he's seeing things constantly which makes it very hard for him to try to live a normal life. But maybe these visions have a reason and could possibly even help him to find his brother or at least find out the truth about what happened to Tom. The movie is listed as horror but there's not much horror to be found, except of course the horros of losing your brother and not knowing what happened to him. But the movie itself is more of a mystery-thriller that hooks you in and won't let you go until you find out the truth. There are no jump scares and the movie is more based around atmosphere and a tension filled third act. You have some supernatural elements in Matthew's visions and other stuff happening but the majority of its runtime it has mostly the atmosphere of a thriller. To say that this movie is original would be a lie. We have a familiar story and familiar events happening throughout the movie but still the movie is well made and the acting is above average. This is no masterpiece but it manages to entertain for a one time watch. [5,6/10]

Saw this film last night at the ICA and then afterwards there was a Q&A session which included Tom and Johnny Kevorkian and Neil Murphy who both co-wrote and co-produced the film. The film was excellent. Very atmospheric and probably more frightening because it is set in such a mundane setting. Not Gothic horror but backyard horror - but horror nonetheless. The acting was superb by the young cast leads, Harry Treadaway and Tom Felton. The cinematography used a colour palate that reflected the dreary humdrum life that was obviously the norm for the characters. The editing could have been tightened up a little but overall the pace was well set. The music was perfectly written to reflect everything you saw on screen without being dominant or leading where the screen images didn't follow.

A truly frightening experience but one I can well recommend.

I liked this film. It starts out a bit slow, almost like a dysfunctional family piece, but it quickly picks up speed after that. It has some very creepy moments but it is the overall atmosphere of the film that makes it so good. There are no huge special effects or anything, but you can see that the producers and director of this film have been really good at stretching their budget and making the most out of the little money they had. For instance all the music throughout the film is made by a real orchestra and not just a guy with a synth. It makes the film sound bigger.

It's a good buy if you want a low-key, but quality chiller!

I watched this because Prime gave it a 4 out of 5 star rating. It was a waste of time, it was not interesting or entertaining. It was just miserable. I know the main character is supposed to be psychic, but half the time he seems drugged up or slow. The main character is a real whiplash of weird personalities. It could have been a good storyline, but it just turned out to be weird and miserable,

I have NO bloody idea why this film is rated so damn low. I felt that the psychological elements were excellent and the story very well executed.

The interactions with his brother are quite moving and the acting is very good all around. The story is well paced building to a powerful ending, which could very well catch you by surprise. Another reviewer here mentioned that this film was derivative. I didn't see that at all; I thought the story was well conceived and capably directed. I don't normally go for films that are strongly centered on personal Drama, but this one was quite engaging, drawing you along as it gradually reveals what is truly happening.

I really cannot see how it possibly could have been done any better...

One of the better movies, that were shown at the Frightfest 2008. This one is pretty grim and might seem confusing at times, but it never loses it's focus/goal. It might have some false scares and some false leads (which may be annoying for some viewers), but it still has a great impact.

I also like the fact, that you might not exactly know where this is going. There have been similar movies in the recent past, but still a good down to earth, gritty (shot) movie, is always welcomed (imo). The actors give their bests (some might argue that it's not always convincing, but I think they're doing a pretty good job) and the direction and overall editing is good too.

Though this movie was long, it was not uneventful. Harry Treadaway offered an outstanding performance which carried the rest of the cast in this haunting drama about a family grieving over the disappearance of a family member. There were elements of the movie The Sixth Sense, in that the character Matthew Ryan frequently saw and interacted with the deceased. His accounts were dismissed as delusional, which cast a shadow of doubt over the mental stability of this character. As the story unfolds it offers a unique twist on a serial killer while throwing a few weak but effective red herrings as to who the killer was. In the end I was delighted mostly from the performance of harry Treadaway, unknown to me until now, and secondly the bleak scenery which provided a very effective backdrop.

The acting is really good, and everyone gives a pretty solid performance.

It starts of as a creepy mystery as you wonder what is going on. Is the main character Matthew who has just come back from the mental hospital imaging it? Or is there a supernatural element? But it keeps feeding you a little bit more as the other characters doubt his sanity. I was kept intrigued throughout even though it was a bit slow at the start.

The end has a lot more suspense, and is much better than I expected. As the main character confronts the villain. It does have a bit of a "Sixth Sense" vibe through. But overall its a very well thought out, well done film.

The Disappeared is directed by Johnny Kevorkian who also co-writes the screenplay with Neil Murphy. It stars Harry Treadaway, Greg Wise, Alex Jennings, Tom Felton, Finlay Robertson, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Ros Leeming. Music is by Ilan Eshkeri and cinematography by Diego Rodriguez.

After suffering a mental breakdown following the disappearance of his younger brother whilst in his care, Matthew Ryan (Treadaway) is released from the hospital but finds he is haunted by visions and voices of his missing brother. Mental problem or something supernatural.

Johnny Kevorkian's debut full length feature is a potent piece of British psychological horror. Undeniably on the surface the plot contains familiar horror tropes seen in big budgeted movies of the past, but Kevorkian and his cast strip the gloss away to reveal a disturbingly raw exposé of grief and mental trauma.

The back drop is a dank and oppressive housing estate near the docklands, the colours washed out, the imagery and shadowy photography producing a creepy atmosphere befitting the thematics rumbling away in the story. The sound mix is brilliantly jarring, everything is well constructed to land us viewers firmly into the whirlwind of psychological discord that pervades the picture.

The narrative isn't solely intent on solving the mystery of a missing child, itself a desperately sad and horrific centre point of the story, there's carefully inserted devices involving parental abuse, alcoholism, bullying, mental health care and suicide. It's undoubtedly miserable, but life so often is for many, and Kevorkian slow burns his story for maximum impact.

The cast are led superbly by young Treadaway, appropriately looking like a young Ian Curtis, he hits all the right emotional beats without histrionics. It is a character that so easily could have been over played, making a mockery of the mental health issue, but Treadaway nails it. He's backed by an anguished turn from Wise as his father, while Felton, Leeming and Jennings skilfully act within the tonal requirements.

I can't say the finale is a complete success, where the revelation stretches out too far into the supernatural. It would have been far better to keep it humanistic, since everything prior operated on those terms, but it doesn't kill the film. This remains a criminally under valued and under seen gem of low budget British horror. Derivative be damned, this has far more going for it to be tagged as that. 9/10

I write very few reviews but this picture is one that I enjoyed so much I needed to write one. For those with little patience the first five or ten minutes are slow and then the story starts to bring you in to this family's tragedy. The story of Matthew and what happened to his younger brother is compelling. You really feel for this kid and most of the people in his life. There is plenty here for a ghost story lover and a mystery buff as well, the cast does a wonderful job and it was a pleasure to watch a movie that didn't rely on a lot of sudden sounds for scare effects. I watched this on "Netflix" streaming, but I am buying a copy and will be looking for more films by these filmmakers. Bob C.

This is how it would happen if it ever did. Real people in real life in real places. Not that I don't enjoy a good atmospheric spook tale but this has grit. It's real life depicting the afterlife in order to solve an abduction. No dark gothic mansion or demonic spirits doing impossible acts of let's face it, BS acrobatics and unbelievable, senseless feats. This film is all the more disturbing for exactly these reasons. Brilliant performances by all. To conclude, it's marvelous.

I did not have much expectations about this movie, because my experience is that ghost stories set in modern urban settings, very seldom meet up to the standards of classic ghost stories set in old castles or manors and the like. But it turned out to be surprisingly good, if one takes it for what it is.

The photo was bleak and the environments were depressing, but this was of course part of the story. You can also see it as a statement of the awful conditions many poor kids grow up in - even in our rich, civilized western countries.

It was a little difficult to follow the plot, as one often did not know what was real, what was supernatural events (ghosts, premonitions, telepathy etc.), what was dreams or hallucinations etc.. But of course - that was also part of the story.

The mystery in itself is engaging and exciting, and the solution to it is quite unexpected but still not contrived. Well worth watching!