Abandoned Dead is a great thrill ride. It had me on the edge of my seat. Great story and acting. I love the film noir vibe and the attention to detail. I highly recommend this one.

The flaws in this indie film are too obvious to belabor. Suffice to say that you should not expect to witness anything approaching Oscar winning or nominated acting, writing, directing, etc. But this, with rare exceptions, is what one should expect in what is obviously a low- budget production. It comes with the territory. So, if your central purpose in watching an indie film is to indulge a desire to carp and criticize, you easily will find faults in this film. However, if you are among those who subscribe to the standard of criticism enunciated long ago by none other than the undying Master of the Macabre, Edgar Allen Poe, you may discover redeeming signs of life in Abandoned Dead, which while not on the sublimely sinister level of any of Poe's classic creations, is in a consanguineous vein. The Procrustean 1,000 word limit for this present review precludes anything but a rough paraphrase of Poe's dictum: A creation should be judged on whether the creator accomplished what he set out to create. Judged by this standard, the film leaves a favorably impression of what Mark Curran, who happens to have produced a one-man "Poe" show presently on stage, while doing this other one man show as Producer/Writer/Director of Abandoned Dead, managed to squeeze out of a tight indie budget. His promising script explores dark, twisted psychological mine-shafts, and he wastes no precious production money on the gratuitous goo and gore that spray the sets of cheap thrillers. That he managed to cast (sans the services of a casting director) a few quite capable actors among the miscast misfits that somehow manage to make unseemly appearances in practically every indie film, is itself remarkable. Any indie film lover who has been thinking of having a go at production should first have a word with Mark Curran, who evidently knows how to do a lot with a little. In sum, while this film is by no stretch a nine or ten as some apparent partisans proclaim, neither is it a one or two as some slag-slingers say. All things considered in the indie genre, it is a solid six or even a seven.

This movie was reminiscent of the film "Mirrors", which I loved. Obviously with a smaller budget, but they pulled off what they were going for with the budget they had. Setting the movie in a clinic was a smart move. The main actress carries the film well and fits the role of a security guard very well, while staying beautiful and charismatic. Not that security guards can't be pretty....but often times in movies (especially indie) roles like this are cast with someone who is so beyond unbelievable in that part. I found a lot of this movie to be winks and nods to 80's horror films, particularly the sound design anytime a baddie is seen. The lighting was terrific and really helped create depth and layers to the real life sets. It's obvious that this movie has a lot of hard work and heart in it.