Russian horror movies are a lot like those matryoshka wooden nesting dolls: the horror is nested deep within cultural metaphors that quickly open up, again and again, to reveal an allegory at the heart of it.
I'm not very good with allegory. Looking over my notes for the film, The Abandoned, I have Why? jotted down a few times. That's not to say those are bad in this case. It just means, as I've said, I'm not good with allegory — or metaphors for that matter.
Even if you're not good with that metaphor and allegory thing either, director Nacho Cerda weaves an intricate and unrelenting horror story that looks like a ghost story until you dare to open it up.
Inside the ghost story is another story about a wicked house deep in a dark, evil forest surrounded by water — looks like a metaphor to me. Inside the evil house are two people haunting themselves with their own creepy, white-eyed ghosts — ditto on the metaphors, maybe toss in a little allegory, too. Did I mention the locked door in the flooded basement? What waits behind it to be unleashed at the stroke of midnight? And why?
"It's not a Russian horror movie," Zombos said, derailing the caboose in my train of thought.
"What?"
"Director and co-writer, Nacho Cerda... that's not a Russian name. Cerda is a Spanish director. Did that controversial film, Aftermath, back in '94." Zombos flipped to the next page in his magazine and crossed his legs.
"But it was filmed in—"
"In Bulgaria, not Russia." He turned another page.
"Even so, " I thought out loud, "there are Russian actors, art directors, production and second unit directors involved. And Spanish horror often is filled with metaphors and allegory also, just look at Del Toro's The Devil's Backbone, or even Pan's Labyrinth. I think my use of the matryoshka dolls simile is still valid."
Zombos looked up at me. "And those insufferable Higglytown Heroes are matryoshka dolls, too. Why not use them, then?" He crossed his legs in reverse and flipped another page.
I was beginning to hate multi-nationally produced movies. As I pondered where I was going with all this, I watched the snow casually drift across the library's windows. My mind suddenly filled with images of Twinkle and Eubie being chased by their own zombie-fied doppelgangers in a dark and decrepit Higglytown Town Hall. I shuddered. Perhaps I should tackle this review using a different perspective? That's it — perspective.
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