ABSENTIA

Second Sight Films originally released Mike Flanagan's excellent ABSENTIA onto UK DVD in 2012. So if it seems a little odd that they should revisit the film so shortly afterwards, there is good reason: its reputation has grown steadily in the meantime and now is the right time for the uninitiated to discover it as his OCCULUS gets a theatrical release nationally.

The film opens to the sight of Tricia (Courtney Bell) pinning up posters in her neighbourhood, begging for information about the disappearance of her husband Daniel (Morgan Peter Brown). She’s been doing this for the last seven years.

Now, with a baby on the way, she comes home to find her wayward younger sister Callie (Katie Parker) waiting on the doorstep. Callie has been off the rails in the past but, it seems, has grown up and found God during her years of travelling the world and living a Bohemian lifestyle.

Now, she’s landed to take care of big sis Tricia while she prepares for the coming of her firstborn – even if the father’s identity remains undisclosed.

The girls are clearly close despite their physical distance in recent years, enjoying an evening of giggly catching up and wine-drinking. Callie even persuades Tricia that, in light of her having been sent legal documents to sign away the fact that Daniel is ‘in absentia’ – legally dead on account of the length of time he’s been missing – she should now give up her search. The evening ends with Tricia burning her remaining posters.

However, Tricia is woken in the night by noises emanating from the cellar. Upon inspection, she encounters a very angry-looking Daniel. Or does she? He disappears again, just as quickly as he appeared.

The following night, Tricia awakes to find Daniel crouching over her. He screams, she jolts – and he’s gone again. Upon consulting her therapist, Dr Elliott (Scott Graham), he convinces her that these visions are "lucid dreams", brought on by the guilt of having brought her search for Daniel to an end. Still, this doesn’t stop Tricia’s nightmarish visions, or the monstrous voice which roars in her head at inopportune times.

Meanwhile, Callie is having weird experiences of her own. She likes to jog on a morning, and this takes her through a nearby tunnel. It’s only a short tunnel, but it’s long enough for her to encounter the distraught Walter (Doug Jones, the faun in PAN’S LABYRINTH) during her first run. He’s dishevelled and begs for her help. Believing him to be a transient, she promises to return with some food the following day. When she does, he’s gone – but a neighbour warns her not to leave gifts in the subway …

Giving much more away really would be spoiling the experience. ABSENTIA is an unusually well-made horror that works very well if you go into it relatively blind. Don’t, for instance, read the review of it on the excellent Ain’t It Cool News site – fortunately I read it after I’d watched the film, and couldn’t believe how much they gave away.

Going into this blind was a joy the first time I watched it. After 20 minutes I thought I had a handle on it. After 40 minutes, and the more pronounced presence of hired detective Ryan (Dave Levine) I thought I had it sussed in a different direction. Happily, I was wrong on both occasions and the denouement offered so much more than my initial conclusions could have.

What's even more impressive is that revisiting it now robs it of none of its power. But even so, if you're new to it ... well, you know. I did, in fact, notice subtle clues to the film's outcome that are placed early into the film upon second viewing...

Mike Flanagan writes and directs the film. His style is subdued and intelligent, focusing much more on characters than shock tactics. This pays off, as we invest in these people and grow to care for them, so that when the tension is turned up there’s a genuine sense of trepidation attached to it. Atmospheric photography is low-key to the point of being almost insidiously creepy – the unrushed nature of Flanagan’s direction brings to mind that of Ti West (THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL; THE INNKEEPERS). I also appreciate how the filmmaker credits his audience with enough intelligence so as not to need everything spelling out: the script is very strong in this regard.

Bell gives a fantastic performance, proving she’s much more than just a very attractive cleavage. Amazingly, she really was seven months’ pregnant during filming; she gives a rivetingly vulnerable, warm and fleshed-out performance regardless.

Parker has the feistier role, but is equally impressive. In fact, both girls are never better than when bouncing off each other – and, for once, here we get a modern horror film where the protagonists are likeable. This is perhaps the first American genre offering of the 21st Century where this has been the case. Seriously!

Accept its quiet manner (don’t expect buckets of blood or jaw-dropping FX, it’s all very restrained), its brooding score and sombre tone – the work of Douglas Buck also sprung to mind on occasion. Absorb the intelligent script that dares to examine the theme of loss a lot more closely than your average horror flick. Go with its twists and enjoy its nuanced performances. Despite a stupefying low budget of just $70,000.00 (part of which was raised by sponsors through Kickstarter.com), ABSENTIA impresses deeply.

So, is this 2014 re-release from Second Sight Films worth the upgrade? Yes, most certainly.

First off, the 1.78:1 anamorphic picture is a marked improvement over the sometimes blown out transfer on the original DVD. Colours are warmer, blacks are deeper and detail is sharper. The Canon 5d photography really does impress here.

English audio comes in choices of 2.0 stereo and 5.1 surround. Both are very good, though the latter doesn't get much of a workout admittedly.

The disc opens to an animated main menu page. From there, a static scene selection menu allows access to ABSENTIA via 16 chapters.

Where this disc also trounces its vanilla predecessor is in the bonus features department.

These begin with two audio commentary tracks.

The first finds Flanagan in free-flowing form with Bell, Parker, Devine and Jones. They chatter amiably about the trials of shooting at night, Bell's moods, Jones' impact on the level of professionalism felt on shoot, what Brown's whispering to Bell when his spirit appears behind her, silverfish on set, peripheral cast members and much more. It's a packed chat track, filled with insightful information. A fun listen too, it comes highly recommended if you're already a fan.

Secondly, we get a commentary from co-producers Brown, Flanagan, Justin Gordon and Joe Wicker. From the start, Flanagan advises this will be more focused on the practicalities and secrets behind filming on a "micro budget". It is indeed a recommended listen for aspiring filmmakers, though no less mirthful than the first commentary track. The punishing shooting schedule is discussed, and the original title of the film is revealed (I don't want to repeat it here - it gives too much away ...). "How do you raise money to start a film?" is a question posed 8 minutes in, and from there onwards there's some great advice to be had.

A 31-minute retrospective documentary rounds up the cast and crew for new interviews and intersperses them with engaging on-set footage from the film's shoot. We learn more of how Bell's pregnancy moods became an acting asset, the positive effect Flanagan's choice to have a "Doug Jones Day" had on everyone concerned, and how efforts were made to ensure ABSENTIA stood apart from the slew of torture-themed horror films clogging up the contemporary genre scene. This is a polished, informative and entertaining proposition.

A 73-second teaser trailer is edited together from original camera test footage which was taken a couple of months before the film was shot in a bid to check how the Canon camera functioned in various lighting environments. It's a well-edited, attractive affair.

5 minutes of enjoyable but inconsequential deleted scenes round things off.

ABSENTIA stands the test of time as one of the most enjoyable, thought-provoking and original of modern horror films. It's great to see it get the Special Edition treatment, even if it is off the back of the apparently disappointing OCCULUS.

Also available on blu-ray.

Review by Stuart Willis