Absentia

2012 • 87 minutes

About this movie

Coming to terms with her husband's disappearance seven years ago Tricia is pressured to declare him dead in absentia. Her sister, Callie, who has moved in for support, becomes drawn to a mysterious tunnel nearby the house they share.  Soon the two link other unsolved missing persons cases to the ominous underground opening. An ancient force is at work. Could Tricia's husband still be alive? And if so what has become of him. The two women steel themselves for a descent in which both will discover some fates are worse than death. FALLBACK PLAN PRODUCTIONS

Ratings and reviews

Phenomenal. Those looking for traditional scares will not find them here. Those who like well written, absorbing psychological chills will find this a treat. The cheap trailer initially turned me off seeing this for the longest time, but curiosity got the better of me, and boy am I glad it did. Absolutely thought provoking. A menace which is (thankfully) never fully seen is one of the most original antagonists in a horror film I have seen for a long time, matched by only it's ubiquity. Never fully explained, and left open to interpretation, it's an absolute success. Immensely gratifying. Absentia is not a film that wears it's heart on it's sleeve - you'll be mulling on this one for a while. The acting is pretty damned amazing, and again, utterly transcends the lo-fi handheld look of the film. If you're looking for a typical, by the book horror movie, look elsewhere. However, if you want an exceedingly clever, unpredictable character study that happens to be downright unnerving at times, then give this a go. Better than Mike Flanagan's follow-up film 'Oculus' by quite a margin, and a lot more unsettling to boot!

Don't expect any palpable scares from this, but it does conjure up a certain sense of dread amongst the mystery. The CGI is used very little but it looks good considering the budget and is used well. The actors bolster this one a bit, providing realistic characters in a story that needs them. The soundtrack is a tad overused but I enjoyed it. :)

Low budget is almost expected in this genre, but droning monotonous background "music" that overpowers the dialog coupled with terrible ham acting makes this movie one of the worst possible ways to spend $5.