8 Movies to Die For: The Abandoned

Courtesy of Netflix, I watched the fourth installment of Horrorfest, The Abandoned. Before I get into that, can I just say (at the risk of gloating) that with all the lights shut off, and the TV on its "cinema" settings, oh baby -- THIS is how DVDs are meant to be watched. I'll never have one of them fancy shmancy basement home theaters, so this is the closest I can come. Of course, you all are welcome to hang out and watch some movies with me anytime.

But not even the Aquos can do much to maintain the proper mood in the face of Tery arriving home early, insisting I go about my business but turning on the kitchen light, sizzling some pork chops in a pan, clunking ice cubes into a glass, running the sink disposal, her cell phone going off (with her new Connecticut UCONN Huskies ringtone -- which, like most other college fight songs, is completely incompatible with atmospheric horror); however, I'm not holding the Sharp Corporation responsible for this shortcoming.

Between these very disruptive elements, I think I managed to piece together most of it: ( ::Not that it's terribly complex:: )

I suppose the ending has a kind of symmetry to it that I can appreciate if I overlook the bizarro time loop that preceded it. Again, as far as "too disturbing for general audiences," I really do fear I've become too jaded -- or perhaps it was all Tery's fault. 2.5 out of 5