Abattoir (film)

Last updated
Abattoir
Abattoir film poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman
Written byChristopher Monfette
Produced by
  • Jesse Berger
  • Brent C. Johnson
Starring
Cinematography Michael Fimognari
Edited byBrian J. Smith
Music byMark Sayfritz
Production
company
Distributed by Momentum Pictures [1]
Release dates
  • June 7, 2016 (2016-06-07)(Los Angeles)
  • December 9, 2016 (2016-12-09)(United States) [1]
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Abattoir is a 2016 American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and starring Dayton Callie, Jessica Lowndes, Joe Anderson, Lin Shaye, and Jay Huguley. It was written by Christopher Monfette. [2] It premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 7, 2016. [3] [4]

Contents

Premise

The film follows the story of a real estate journalist named Julia (played by Jessica Lowndes), who becomes obsessed with a series of murders that take place in her hometown. Each of the murders occurs in a home where a family member has been killed, and the murder weapon is always a different room of the house.

Determined to get to the bottom of the murders, Julia enlists the help of a local detective, Grady (played by Joe Anderson). Together, they investigate the case and uncover a shocking truth: a mysterious man named Jebediah Crone (played by Dayton Callie) is buying up the homes where the murders have taken place, and he is reconstructing the rooms where the killings occurred in a massive abattoir, a slaughterhouse for human beings.

As Julia and Grady delve deeper into the case, they realize that Crone is not just buying up the homes for the rooms; he is also collecting pieces of a larger puzzle, one that involves a dark and sinister force that dates back to the founding of the town.

Julia and Grady soon find themselves in a race against time to stop Crone before he completes his macabre masterpiece and unleashes a terrifying evil upon the world. They are joined by an unlikely ally, Allie (played by Lin Shaye), a psychic who has a connection to Crone and his past.

In a tense and terrifying climax, the three confront Crone and the horrifying truth behind his abattoir. The film ends with a shocking revelation that leaves the audience questioning what is real and what is not.

Cast

Production

Production for the film began in 2014. It was announced in October 2014 that Joe Anderson, Dayton Callie, Jessica Lowndes and Lin Shaye had been cast. [5]

Reception

Abattoir has received negative reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 35% approval rating with twenty reviews counted, with an average score of 4.69/10. [6] Metacritic gave the film a 40 which illustrates "mixed or average". [7]

Brian Tallerico writing for RogerEbert.com gave the film a half star, calling it "one of the most baffling and ineffective horror films of the year." [8] Dennis Harvey, writing for Variety, found the film lacking in focus, saying: "In the end, Abattoir feels like a confused rehash of ideas from the variable likes of The Shining , House on Haunted Hill , Thirteen Ghosts and other haunted-house movies, albeit one so misjudged that it doesn't even get to the house itself until the last 20 minutes or so. If there were potential here, it's been garbled in translation." [9]

On the other hand, John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter called it: "A pulpy supernatural tale dripping with atmosphere." [10]

John Squires of Bloody Disgusting called the film "one of the most original horror movies to come out in the last several years." [11]

Comic book prequel

In 2010, Darren Bousman developed a comicbook prequel to the film from Radical Studios. The six-issue miniseries was written by Rob Levin and Troy Peteri, with art by Bing Cansino. Bousman outlined his plans with, "I want to create a universe, and this is the beginning of a universe. I don't foresee using the comic book to be what the movie is. But it's part of the world of what the movie will exist in, and everything will stand on its own. For example, the comic book will be its own world, its own movie, its own book, its own story. The movie will be its own world, its own story, but they will all connect. All pieces of this thing connect and tell a much bigger tale... think it's important to lead into the movie. We came up with this as a script, as a feature film idea, but what we wanted to accomplish in the feature film was way, way, way too ambitious for a 90-minute movie. So we had to backtrack and set the world up that way." [12]

Sequel

A sequel to Abattoir, titled The Dwelling, was announced in May 2016, with Bousman set to write and direct and Callie to reprise his role as Jebediah Crone. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Saw II</i> 2005 film by Darren Lynn Bousman

Saw II is a 2005 horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Leigh Whannell and Bousman. It is the sequel to 2004's Saw and the second installment in the Saw film series. The film stars Donnie Wahlberg, Franky G, Glenn Plummer, Beverley Mitchell, Dina Meyer, Emmanuelle Vaugier, Erik Knudsen, Shawnee Smith, and Tobin Bell. In the film, a group of ex-convicts are trapped by the Jigsaw Killer inside a house and must pass a series of deadly tests to retrieve the antidote for a nerve agent that will kill them in two hours.

<i>Saw III</i> 2006 film by Darren Lynn Bousman

Saw III is a 2006 horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay by Leigh Whannell and a story by Whannell and James Wan. It is the third installment in the Saw film series and a sequel to 2005's Saw II, starring Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Angus Macfadyen, Bahar Soomekh, and Dina Meyer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandre Aja</span> French filmmaker (born 1978)

Alexandre Jouan-Arcady, known professionally as Alexandre Aja, is a French filmmaker best known for his work in the horror genre. He rose to international stardom for his 2003 horror film Haute Tension. He has also directed the films The Hills Have Eyes (2006), Mirrors (2008), Piranha 3D (2010), Horns (2013) and Crawl (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lin Shaye</span> American actress (born 1943)

Lin Shaye is an American actress. In a career spanning over fifty years, Shaye has appeared in more than a hundred feature films. She is regarded as a scream queen due to her roles in various horror productions, which include the films Alone in the Dark (1982), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Critters (1986) and its sequel Critters 2: The Main Course (1988), Amityville: A New Generation (1993), Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994), Dead End (2003), 2001 Maniacs (2005) and its sequel 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams (2010), Ouija (2014) and its prequel Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016), Tales of Halloween (2015), Abattoir (2016), The Final Wish (2018), Room for Rent (2019), The Grudge (2020), Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman (2021), and the Insidious film series (2010–2023).

The Splat Pack is a group of independent filmmakers who, since 2002, have directed, written and produced horror films which are notable for their low budgets and extreme violence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darren Lynn Bousman</span> American film director and screenwriter

Darren Lynn Bousman is an American film director and screenwriter, best known for his work in horror films. He has directed four of the Saw films: Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV, and Spiral. He also directed the horror musicals Repo! The Genetic Opera and The Devil's Carnival movies. Bousman is co-creator and writer of alternate reality games (ARG) and immersive experiences, The Tension Experience (2016), The Lust Experience (2017), Theatre Macabre (2018), iConfidant (2020), and One Day Die (2020).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrance Zdunich</span> American artist

Terrance Zdunich is an American artist, singer, actor, writer, composer, producer, illustrator and storyboard artist. He is most known for his role as GraveRobber in Repo! The Genetic Opera, as Lucifer in The Devil's Carnival films, and Mister Tender in American Murder Song.

<i>The Devils Carnival</i> 2012 American film

The Devil's Carnival is a 2012 American musical horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and starring Sean Patrick Flanery, Briana Evigan, Jessica Lowndes, Paul Sorvino, Emilie Autumn and Terrance Zdunich. The film marks the second collaboration of Bousman and writer/actor Terrance Zdunich, their previous work being the musical film Repo! The Genetic Opera. The film also brings back several of the cast members of Repo!, such as Sorvino, Alexa Vega, Bill Moseley and Nivek Ogre. The Devil's Carnival has Aesop's Fables and other folklore at the core of its story, with the main characters each representing a fable. Flanery's character John represents "Grief and His Due", Evigan's character Merrywood represents "The Dog and Its Reflection", and Lowndes' character Tamara represents "The Scorpion and the Frog", an animal fable that seems to have first emerged in Russia.

Jay Huguley is an American film, TV and theatre actor, best known for playing Whit Peyton on Brothers & Sisters (2006–2007), Will Bransom on Treme (2012–2013), Jimmy Ledoux on True Detective (2014) and David on The Walking Dead (2015).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dread Central</span> American website

Dread Central is an American website founded in 2006 that is dedicated to horror news, interviews, and reviews. It covers horror films, comics, novels, and toys. Dread Central has won the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Website four times and was selected as AMC's Site of the Week in 2008.

<i>Alleluia! The Devils Carnival</i> 2015 American film

Alleluia! The Devil's Carnival is a 2015 American musical fantasy horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Terrance Zdunich. It is a direct sequel to Bousman's 2012 film The Devil's Carnival. Production commenced in August 2014 and the film was released on August 11, 2015 by Cleopatra Films.

<i>Tales of Halloween</i> 2015 American film

Tales of Halloween is a 2015 American comedy horror anthology film consisting of ten interlocking segments, each revolving around Halloween. Segments were directed by Neil Marshall, Darren Lynn Bousman, Axelle Carolyn, Lucky McKee, Andrew Kasch, Paul Solet, John Skipp, Adam Gierasch, Jace Anderson, Mike Mendez, Ryan Schifrin, and Dave Parker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aiden Flowers</span> American actor

Aiden James Flowers is an American actor. He is best known for portraying a young Klaus Mikaelson in the CW network series The Originals. He also appeared in the films The Big Short, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, and Nate Parker's The Birth of a Nation.

<i>The Black Room</i> (2017 film) 2017 American film

The Black Room is an American horror film written and directed by Rolfe Kanefsky. It stars Natasha Henstridge, Lukas Hassel and Lin Shaye.

<i>Spiral</i> (2021 film) American film by Darren Lynn Bousman

Spiral is a 2021 American horror thriller film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger. It is a spinoff and the ninth installment overall in the Saw film series, following Jigsaw (2017). The film stars Chris Rock, Max Minghella, Marisol Nichols, and Samuel L. Jackson, and follows police efforts to stop a Jigsaw copycat killer. The original creators of the series, James Wan and Leigh Whannell, as well as Rock and series veteran Kevin Greutert, serve as executive producers.

<i>Death of Me</i> (film) 2020 horror film by Darren Lynn Bousman

Death of Me is a 2020 American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, from a screenplay by Ari Margolis, James Morley III, and David Tish. It stars Maggie Q, Alex Essoe, and Luke Hemsworth.

The Horror Crowd is a 2020 documentary film by Ruben Pla that examines the horror community in Hollywood.

<i>The Cello</i> (2023 film) Film by Darren Lynn Bousman

The Cello is a 2023 Saudi Arabian horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Turki Al-Sheikh. It is based on Al-Sheikh's novel of the same title and stars Jeremy Irons, Samer Ismail, Elham Ali, Souad Abdullah, Tobin Bell and Muhannad Al Hamdi. The story revolves around an aspiring cellist who acquires an insidious cello that begins to wreak havoc around him.

The Monster is an upcoming horror-thriller film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by James Greer and Jonathan Bernstein. It stars Djimon Hounsou, Lauren LaVera, and Mia Healey.

References

  1. 1 2 "Darren Lynn Bousman Horror Pic 'Abattoir' Lands At Momentum Pictures". Archived from the original on 2024-10-05. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
  2. 1 2 "Cannes: 'Abattoir' Sequel 'Dwelling' Unveiled by Versatile (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. 2015-05-14. Archived from the original on 2024-10-05. Retrieved 2017-12-11.
  3. ↑ "Abattoir". Los Angeles Film Festival . Film Independent. Archived from the original on October 16, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  4. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (2016-10-18). "Darren Lynn Bousman Horror Pic 'Abattoir' Lands At Momentum Pictures". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2024-10-05. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  5. ↑ "Joe Anderson, Dayton Callie and Jessica Lowndes Join Darren Lynn Bousman's 'Abattoir'". Variety. 2014-10-29. Archived from the original on 2017-06-29. Retrieved 2017-12-11.
  6. ↑ "Abattoir (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on 2017-11-27. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Abattoir". Metacritic . Archived from the original on October 5, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  8. ↑ Tallerico, Brian (December 9, 2016). "Abattoir". RogerEbert.Com . Archived from the original on October 5, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  9. ↑ Harvey, Dennis (December 5, 2016). "Film Review: 'Abattoir'". Variety . Archived from the original on October 5, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  10. ↑ DeFore, John (December 7, 2016). "'Abattoir': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  11. ↑ Squires, John (January 16, 2017). "Darren Bousman's 'Abattoir' is the Best 2016 Horror Movie You Didn't See". Bloody Disgusting . Archived from the original on January 17, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Darren Lynn Bousman Unveils New Horror Comic: ABATTOIR". destroythebrain.com. 2010-10-27. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.