The Abandoned (2006)

Note: This review is part of my coverage of After Dark Horrorfest: 8 Films To Die For.

The Abandoned

Two twins, abandoned and separated at a very young age, both find their way back to their house of birth in a remote forest in Russia, 40 years later, searching for information about their parents and their roots. However, the truth behind their abandonment could turn out to be something they'd be better off not knowing. They become stuck in this house, which is haunted by memories of the past tragedy, and get to meet their doppelgangers, the presence of which alludes to their own impending demise. When they discover the horror they escaped from as infants, will they be able to change their own fate, or will they be able to escape at all?

I really enjoyed this movie. The plot was very complicated, which kept you thinking and wondering about things, and the style of the movie was very beautiful and very creepy. A lot of this movie just gave me a feeling of the atmosphere of Silent Hill, especially the decrepit condition of the abandoned house - it was like Silent Hill without monsters, except for the doppelgangers. And speaking of which, I'm a huge fan of the doppelganger legend, and I was very excited to find out that this movie featured a couple of them. The ending was very exciting, and there was seriously a lot going on. It was hard to put everything together, but I think I was able to get the important ideas. Overall, I think this movie was fantastic and is my pick for the best movie of Horrorfest so far.

Reasons for banning: There were a lot of graphic ideas in this movie, including at least one unusually disgusting death, as well as infant-related violence, which I think would be the strongest reason this movie would be considered too extreme for a regular run.