clip clop.

Not giving to much away (again) as (again) this lil' movie was pretty good.

And surprisingly for all the recent hoo haa it was directed by a guy.

Thanks for re-igniting my belief in competent male film makers Mr. Flanagan.

Or can I call you Mike?


Absentia (2011).
Dir: Mike Flanagan.
Cast: Katie Parker, Courtney Bell, Morgan Peter Brown and Dave Levine.

 

The homely yet terrifyingly breasted Tricia (actress/producer/director Bell) is at a crossroads in her life; her loving hubbie, Daniel, disappeared without a trace seven years ago, she's pregnant by another man (obviously), the police officer investigating the disappearance and torn between leaving her old home and starting again or continue waiting for Daniel to hopefully return.

If that wasn't enough to send her prematurely grey then the fact that the local neighbourhood seems to be in a downward spiral of petty thefts and house break ins might just do the trick.

Enter (yes please) her button nosed, ex drug using wayward younger sis, Callie (Parker from the Tony Todd, Michael Berryman starrer Cut looking like a dirtier Jessica Alba), eager to put her criminal past behind her and ready to help her sister move on.

Most importantly by finally having Daniel declared legally dead - in absentia, as you will.

Oh yeah and by cramming as many pair of big grey mummy pants she can into a small suitcase.

I don't know what's more scary, the ghostly looming figure or Tricia's frankly terrifying cleavage.

But as is the way in this type of movie, things don't go according to plan (which is lucky for us otherwise it'd be a really boring film); there are tensions between Tricia and the father to be Detective Mallory (Space Guys in Space's Levine), he attempts at packing consist of sitting on the floor looking at her wedding pictures and a very annoyed and shite covered Daniel keeps appearing around the house screaming a lot.


Which I'm assuming isn't helping her pregnancy mood swings much.


It's not only Mrs. bun in the oven having a bad time tho' as cutesy Callie has begun seeing ghostly tramps and bags of old coins in the creepy old tunnel that connects Tricia's street with a nearby park when out jogging whilst a skinny young man carrying a bin bag has been following her around warning her not to leave any rubbish, food, car keys and the like in the aforementioned tunnel.

Cassie: smokin'.

Is this the real-life Callie wonders or, in the words of the late Sir Frederick of Mercury, is this just hallucinations and paranoia due to years of dodgy drug abuse?

There really is no time to wonder tho' as on the day the courts issue her husbands death certificate, Tricia is shocked to find him collapsed in the street outside their house...

Now you just try and throw a sausage up there.

Coming to Absentia totally cold save a report on the abysmal poster campaign that made the whole thing look like some run of the mill murderous mentalist movie, I was completely surprised to discover myself watching a well acted, well scripted and fantastically plotted story that takes genres as diverse as family drama, psychological thriller, urban myth and good old fashioned ghost stories and mixes them up in a big bubbling cauldron of creepy goodness to produce one on the most effective (and low budget) mysteries I've seen in recent years.

Callie may look all coy now but just wait till the mooth shite-in starts.

Writer/director/on-site caterer/co-producer/tea boy/editor and Mr. Happy lookalike Flanagan* has managed to created a true indie movie that's storytelling power isn't hindered by a lack of budget but inspired by it, with it's natural realistic dialogue and believable performances from it's cast of relative unknowns.

You don't often see this much love, care and passion put into a movie.

Which does beg the question of who the fuck thought this poster would adequately sum up the movie and lift it head and shoulders above such utter shite as The Sleeper:

Come on, it's not even either of the movies actresses!

Plus had they not seen these:

Please can we find whoever did this and punish them now?

Ignore the cover, ignore the spoilerish reviews (except this one obviously) and settle down with a rare horror movie that's intelligent, thought-provoking and damn fine entertainment.

Just next time get me to design the poster.



*as an addendum to the review I'd just like to point out that after the bollocking Mr. Flanagan gave me for referring to Tricia's breast as 'terrifying' in the review I think that Mr. Grumpy would be more appropriate.

Yes I know she's your wife and I know she was seven months pregnant but if you must know it was Mrs. Lamont that commented on them first.

And after three kids herself I reckon she has more experience of recognising terrifying mummy breasts than you do.

Thank you.