It’s April 15th today and that means we have hit a very special milestone for The Horror Syndicate. One year ago today, our cuddly and loveable leader Rayzor published the website’s first article, with his double feature review of The Fly. What an amazing year it’s been! We’ve expanded our contributing team of writers and even started a popular podcast on Wednesday nights, THSLive! Here’s hoping the next year will be a great one! Now let’s get down to brass tacks. Last week’s Bloody Streaming Roulette game of chance was a bit of a letdown. Preservation (2014), was for lack of educated words, ‘meh’. Can I bring back my winning mojo? Or am I doomed to the depths of total failure for a second week in a row?
SPIN THAT SHIT!
Abattoir (2016)
Abattoir is the latest offering from genre director Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II-IV, Repo! The Genetic Opera, The Devil’s Carnival). The flicks follows an investigative reporter, Julia as she tries put the devastating murder of her sister and her family behind her. Looking for closure, she retreats to her sister’s house, the scene of the crime. Only to find out that the room where the murders took place, was literally ripped out from the house. JUST GONE. This unlocks a rabbit hole of intrigue to the unknown and sets in motion a bizarre and supernatural force, unfathomable. With the help of a police detective, can Julia unlock the answers of the Abattoir?
You can say I am somewhat of a fanboy of Bousman. He directed three of the better Saw sequels and he completely blew me away with his horror musical Repo! The Genetic Opera. Like myself, Bousman comes from heartland. So, as a fellow Kansan, I was pretty stoked when I randomly landed on this flick.
Abattoir is an enigma. The idea is so original, intertwined around an age-old story of an old town sacrificing its own for the greater good. Only problem is, the greater good this town is trying to attain is in reality pure evil. Here’s where the enigma part comes in. The execution of the film, left me wanting more. Here Bousman and crew had a truly original format, but with the lackluster CGI and overall pacing of the film, it all just felt off. The acting was serviceable. Lin Shaye (Insidious), undoubtedly had the best performance, but she wasn’t even a main character.
ab·at·toir: noun – a slaughterhouse
I think the name of the film is a bit misleading. We are given an interesting third act, but it is far from a slaughterhouse. More like a haunted house if anything. I will say, I was very entertained by the last twenty minutes of the film, because it finally felt like a horror movie. The imagery was decent, but all the off-putting CGI hindered what could’ve been a memorable ending. Even with a bleak and hopeless ending, I still felt a bit cheated. I know I have said this a lot on my Bloody Streaming Roulette pieces, but this film could’ve been so much more. I resign myself back to the gambling table once again.
Mediocrity is thy name… That’s four losses out of the last five chances boils and ghouls.
IMDb: 4.4/10
ZombiSurvivor: 5.0/10
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STAY SCARED!
-ZS
