In 1966, somewhere in Russia, a wounded woman drives a truck to an isolated farm with two babies. Forty years later, the film producer Marie Jones leaves her daughter in California and travels back to her home land in the wilderness of Russia. Marie is one of the children and had received a phone call from the notary public Andrei Misharin, who told her where the farm of her family is located. Marie arrives at the abandoned house and meets the stranger Nicolai, who tells her that he had also received a call from Misharin and he is her twin brother. Weird things happen in the house and Marie and Nicolai are haunted by zombie-like ghosts of themselves. Further, they find that they are trapped in the house and can not leave the place.
For thoughts on The Abandoned (2006), please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
The Abandoned arrives on Blu-Ray in a robust 1080p transfer that captures the stylistic intentions of this feature swimmingly. This film was shot on Super 35 and renders pretty well in high definition even with its focus on exploring drab, dark locations. Black levels hold up well with only small moments when you experience a bit of crush or lose detail in the murky elements. Compression artifacts are largely avoided throughout, as well. The color palette is somewhat muted as you only have very sporadic elements in nature that significantly saturate the screen. Every unique space looks the best it can in high definition with subtle nuances in the background of the dilapidated housel. Distinct textures define the special effects makeup and articles of clothing for a very tactile experience. Skin tones appear to be natural with facial details easily observed in close-ups, and there are no major digital anomalies to speak of from what we observed. Unearthed Films has given this a nice life on physical media.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track track that handles the material quite suitably. Dialogue is a featured aspect of this track and it stays anchored in the center channel as it is reproduced clearly. The track does a fine job of making sure neither sound effects nor the score ever overpowers dialogue. The score is formidable as it comes through with peerless fidelity as it permeates the room. This is a pretty intense story at times, and the low-end harnesses texture during the more kinetic happenings. There is some unsettling ambient activity in the mix as the characters try to survive this house. Whenever you have activity in the surround channels, noises emanate from the appropriate directions. This is a rich track from Unearthed Films. There are optional English, English SDH, and Spanish subtitles provided.
Special Features
- Circling Back with Nacho Cerda: A terrific new 50-minute conversation with the director who discusses his early horror favorites and influences, breaking out with his short film, getting involved with The Abandoned, the torturous rewrites of the film, the shooting locations, the production design and set construction, the aesthetic of the feature, and more.
- Circling Back with Karim Hussain: A new 52-minute conversation with the co-writer in which he discusses his time with various creatives early in his career, developing the idea for The Abandoned, his involvement with the production process, elements of the script tweaked for the film, his feelings about the final product, and more.
- Circling Back with Richard Stanley: A new 45-minute conversation with the co-writer who discusses his recollection of the creative process, the evolution of the script, the production woes that plagued the film, his major contributions to the story, working with Nacho Cerda, and more.
- Making of The Abandoned: A 13-minute archival featurette in which the cast and creative team discuss the development of the project, the themes of the story, the creation of various scenes, and more.
- In The Abandoned’s Den: A 30-minute piece that serves the same purpose as the making-of featurette only with more in-depth insights into the production process with some intriguing anecdotes.
- Nacho Cerda – The Trial of Death: A 28-minute featurette in which director Nacho Cerda discusses his early horror influences, the appeal of the genre, the creation of certain visceral moments, and more.
- The Little Secrets of Nacho Cerda: A 14-minute exploration of various decisions made in the film as explained by the director.
- When Buck Meets Cerda: A 14-minute conversation “between friends” about filmmaking and the horror genre.
- Alternate Cuts: A 12-minute collection of unused footage is provided here
- Alternate Endings: An 11-minute collection of used endings is provided here.
- Deleted Scenes: A six-minute collection of unused footage is provided here.
- Outtakes: A nearly 11-minute collection of unused takes is provided here.
- Promotional Gallery: A nearly ten-minute gallery of storyboards, marketing material, and more from the film is provided.
- Storyboards: An 11-minute collection of early concept art is provided.
- Trailer: The Theatrical Trailer is provided in English, Spanish, and German, and the French Trailer is provided in French and English.
Final Thoughts
The Abandoned appears to have been a troubled production in some respects, but the end results are surprisingly good. There are some plot contrivances and decisions that we would not necessarily have made, but the film conjures a haunting quality that lingers with you. How the film manifests trauma is super effective, and there are moments within this one that will make even the most hardened horror fans wince. This hits us right in the haunting sweet spot that we like. Unearthed Films has released a Blu-Ray that offers a great A/V presentation and a substantial selection of new and archival special features. Recommended
The Abandoned is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Unearthed Films has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.