PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Growing up was hard for a lot of us, and I’m sure it was hard for our parents before us, too. Sometimes we rise above, and sometimes we fall. Why do we fall? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up. Yes, I am quoting Batman Begins. But the movie I want to talk about is Abducted (2021), written and directed by Daniel Foreman (Legendary Myths: Raven Adventures 2017).
WARNING: SPOILERS
The synopsis:
An inner-city teenage boy’s life is turned upside-down when his drug-running sister goes missing. Lakota’s sudden disappearance leaves Derrick to piece together the clues of her abduction. Derrick experiences visions which he struggles to understand but which help him on his quest to find her. As he gets close to finding his sister, Derrick ends up in the fight of his life.
This was the first film I’ve seen from Daniel Foreman. Looking into his previous work, it appears that he tends to focus on supernatural and spiritual films dealing with mind, body, and soul. This continues with Abducted. The plot revolves around a serial killer that commits murders during a full moon which isn’t exactly dealing with a werewolf, but there are animal-like instincts with this killer.
The film does have its flaws at times. Abducted’s characters have an interesting story. However, what hurts the films is editing. A situation will happen, and then they cut away to another sequence. There’s not a segue or even enough information to tell the time in the film. One event takes place during the day or morning but the next scene is suddenly somehow later in the day.
This took away from the film. The main character, Derrick (Joel Oulette), doesn’t get enough time to develop his character. The idea is there, but it could’ve been explored a lot more. At least the killer has a backstory. Chris Pereira (Highway 13 2021) does a great job showing Tyson Muirhead’s sadistic yet emotional side, dealing with trauma from his past that he takes out on his victims. He really shines in the film whereas the other cast members dim in the scenes. They have potential, and I’m sure they excel in other roles, but the lack of a story also hurts the acting.
Abducted could be a lot of things. It’s a story that is well known to genre fans but takes an interesting take. I will say that the film does a great job showing the horrors of actual abductions, and even provides a website that shows how others can help.
