Nightmare Fuel 2016 Day 28: Abattoir

Though not exactly a household name, director Darren Lynn Bousman has carved quite the little horror niche for himself.  Aside from the second, third, and fourth installments of the Saw franchise, he’s also helmed Repo! the Genetic Opera, the Mother’s Day remake, and the two (thus far) Devil’s Carnival films.  Even if not immediately identifiable, Bousman certainly has his own unique style or feel, and it’s on full display in his most recent work, Abattoir.

Based on the Radical comic series (written by Bousman himself, no less), the film centers on investigative journalist Julia, who’s stuck in the Real Estate section despite aspirations toward crime.  One night, her sister and her family are murdered by an unknown man, seemingly at tragic random.  Delving further into the case, Julia finds a connection that leads her back to the hometown she never knew (she was given up for adoption back in the day, you see).  There, she uncovers the mystery of an enigmatic preacher who has had the whole town under his influence for decades and who engages in a strange practice: he collects the rooms in which murders occur…including that of Julia’s family.  From these resources, the preacher has constructed a haunted house of sorts populated by the spectres of the compositional murders.  And it has a dark purpose (natch), one that is slightly hinted at in the film’s esoteric title.

Bousman’s fluid visual signature covers every scene, a layer of stylistic gel that hearkens back to his aforementioned dark musicals.  The cast, many of whom have been involved with Bousman’s previous efforts, all stand up well with the slightly offbeat material: Jessica Lowndes (Tamara from the first Devil’s Carnival) shows emotion and poise as Julia, Dayton Callie (the Ticket-Keeper from the Devil’s Carnival films) works a just under an over-the-top performance as the preacher/collector, and it wouldn’t be a modern horror movie involving ghosts without having a turn by Lin Shaye.

I will admit that through most of the runtime I was asking myself (and the screen) what was going on, but Bousman was able to craft the mystery (and the reveal) in such a way as to make me want to press on, to organically discover the truths, rather than to give up out of frustration.  The story certainly isn’t your average simple little tale, and the finale may not be the most satisfying thing in the cinematic world, but the cast and Bousman’s stylistic workings keep things moving along and ensure that the viewing experience is a positive, entertaining one.

According to IMDb, there is a sequel planned, and for once I’m fine with a horror film getting the franchise treatment, as there can definitely be some interesting further stories built off of the premise here.