iWant: Review of ABANDONED: Security Scares

August 30, 2019

Simone was a security guard whose record was besmirched when a violent robbery happened at the bank she was guarding. Desperate for a job, she accepted the night shift post to guard a creepy old abandoned building. She had strict instructions to make rounds of the premises every midnight and 3 am just when the ghostly activity is at its height. Meanwhile, Simone grappled with memories of the bank holdup, financial constraints and the strange behavior of her son. 

As writer-director Kip Oebanda wrote it, "Abandoned" did not only apply to the old building Simone was assigned to guard-- a former hospital where kid patients and the nursing staff were reportedly burned to death in a big fire. Simone was abandoned by the American father of RJ who impregnated her as a high school student, leading to her lack of a diploma. Simone abandoned her post for a while to answer a call from RJ just when the bloody robbery happened at the bank, causing her guilt and post-traumatic stress. Simon's psychological makeup was as damaged and unstable as the condemned structure she was supposed to guard. 

Beauty Gonzalez played the lead role of the tormented Simone. Left alone to fend for herself from a very young age as a single mother, Simone was toughened up by her challenging life circumstances. But behind that brave facade, she was full of frustration with the bleakness of her future. While she was probably doing her best in the lead role, Gonzalez did not exactly have a varied palette as an actress. She seemed overwhelmed by the production here like she is overshadowed by co-star Dimples Romana in their hit afternoon TV soap "Kadenang Ginto". On the other hand, that sense of "weakness" may be the rationale for her casting. 

In his first movie role, former Pinoy Big Brother Otso housemate Seth Fedelin actually did well to create the confusing character of RJ. You never really knew what RJ was up to behind his mother's back. Fedelin managed to effectively portray a mysterious character who was apparently a good son at home, but who could possibly be up to no good when he was out of the house, certainly stirring up more stress in Simone's and the viewer's minds. This was a promising film debut for this young actor. 

Successful horror is all about developing the proper atmosphere. The old building was certainly creepy enough in the dark, but the production design people messed it up some more with details to make it look creepier. The cinematography and lighting were just right, not too dark. Then it was up to the director Oebanda to oversee his editing, sound, music and special effects technicians to create the palpable dread and sudden jumps in the final product. Beyond the scares though, Oebanda's twisted script gave the audience a bit more substance to chew on. 6/10.