Absentia
Absentia DVD (Second Sight)
Surpassing the limitations of a low budget with extra-large helpings of originality and dread atmosphere, ‘Absentia’ is that rarest of beasts – a truly scary horror film that carves its own path and refuses to follow convention with memorable, bone-chilling effect. It opens as Tricia, a grief-stricken mother-to-be, prepares to have her missing husband Daniel declared officially dead after he disappeared without trace seven years ago. Her freespirited younger sister, Callie, comes to stay and support her through the difficult and emotionally draining process. The ordinary suburban cul-de-sac where Tricia lives is marked by the high number of ‘missing pet’ posters plastered over the telegraph poles and a long underpass tunnel at the, ahem, ‘dead’ end of the street. She can’t explain why, but the tunnel immediately catches Callie’s attention and leaves her feeling uneasy and agitated. There’s just something not quite right about it… The sisters’ domestic situation is complicated by the fact that Callie is a secret drug addict and Tricia is pregnant with the baby of the detective who has been looking into her husband’s disappearance. Feeling guilty at having Daniel declared dead in absentia, Tricia becomes plagued with horrifying visions of the tortured, abused man. But encouraged by her psychiatrist and her sister, she eventually finds the courage to sign the papers and move on with her life. Stepping out on a date with the detective, Tricia has another vision of her dishevelled husband standing opposite her house – except this time, it’s for real. Daniel has returned, and the hell that he has endured over the last seven years has travelled with him…‘Absentia’ is the stuff of nightmares, a creepy, clever film that plays out like something written by Stephen King at his very best. It deliberately offsets you by throwing a curve into the plot that (unless you watch the spoilerific trailer) you simply won’t see coming, one which will ultimately divide viewers along lines of those who think it is preposterous and those who believe that it possesses a touch of originality so sorely lacking in most modern horror films. I’m definitely in the latter camp – ‘Absentia’ brings to mind the kind of movies that have made the biggest impact on the genre, and is never once anything less than disturbing and scary. Made on a shoestring by some very talented people, the announcement that director Mike Flanagan has been given a greenlight to adapt his award-winning short film ‘Occulus’ into a feature length follow up is very good news indeed, and marks him as a talent to watch out for. ‘Absentia’ is just the kind of shot in the arm that the genre needs. Liam Ronan
