Abduction 101, 2018.
Directed by Robin Entreinger.
Starring Brianna Shewbert Rouse, Nixi Oblivion, Adrienne Stone, Luna Labelle and Kayla Kilby.
SYNOPSIS:
We all know the story: three women find a strange house within the woods. But what the women discover inside is only the beginning of a heinous nightmare.
“Show, don’t tell.”
That’s the first phrase that comes to mind when watching Abduction 101. The film opens with narration detailing the exact thing that is happening on the screen, painfully delivered lines as well. Now, the idea of a movie beginning with description doesn’t usually bother me, but this felt off-putting enough to make it the first thing we talk about when discussing this film. This type of narration and filmmaking style comes off a little amateur; like the filmmakers don’t feel confident enough on their visual storytelling that they feel the need to make sure you know what is happening. It goes on for the entire cold open until we find out this isn’t a voiceover but the character we’ve been following recounting this story to someone else. Topping everything off is a very predictable line of dialogue and some television style opening credits. Thankfully this set my bar low for the film, so everything that came after was a delightful surprise.
For the rest of Abduction 101, the experience was less troublesome than the opening moments as I knew the exact film I was getting into now. Some movie viewings have an adjustment period, especially for horror films as they can go to the extremes of the genre at any moment. Now aware of the style of horror that director Robin Entreinger was going for, everything made a bit more sense.
This movie feels like the sleazy low-budget horror from the VHS era of cinema; the United Kingdom would call them video nasties while America made them midnight movies at local theaters. All of the blood, nudity, and women screaming feels familiar to anyone who knows films like Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer or something released by Troma. Sadly this film lacks the charm you’d find in a Troma classic as Abduction 101 is exceptionally bleak. Now bleakness works for some exploitation films but you must handle it with care, or it comes off as someone trying shock with no awe.
That’s a perfect way to describe the experience of watching Abduction 101. The film is all shocking moment with no real sense of wonder or purpose to the madness. There’s a reliance on horror gimmicks that once worked, like excessive nudity and cheap gore, but it’s used to lazily here that it’s hard to get excited or offended by anything. Take the needlessly extended sequence of a woman getting vacuum-sealed by one of the men in the basement; this would’ve once shocked me as a viewer or at least got any reaction, but the filming is so flat that I felt as lifeless as the body on the table. That feeling carries over most of the film, with the exact reason for the disconnect between the film and myself never being clear. Could be the dull cinematography or directionless story, but it was hard for Abduction 101 to make an impact.
Low-budget horror moved from the dark corners of a video store to the digital world of Hulu, Netflix, Shudder, and Amazon Prime. You can find countless horror films like Abduction 101 on any streaming service these days, but is this the film you should spend your time on? Not at all! Bloodied women kicking ass isn’t fresh to viewers anymore, and this doesn’t elevate the material enough to become a fun send up to films of yesteryear. Find yourself the better version of what Abduction 101 wanted to be stylistically and watch a ’70s exploitation film instead.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ / Movie: ★ ★
EJ Moreno
