SmugKitZine Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

Bergorks If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Claudio Carvalho "Abattoir" is a film with a promising supernatural story and good cinematography that is wasted by a disconnected screenplay that do not develop the characters and situations well. The original idea of an evil man that buys houses to take the rooms where tragedies happened is an unintelligible mess and hard to be understood by the viewer. The motivation of the snoopy Julia Talben is also confused after learning the truth about Jebediah Crone. She knew her family was murdered and in hell (why?) and she insists in entering the house. There is many lack of explanation along the story and in the end, watching "Abattoir" is a complete waste of time. My vote is one (awful).Title (Brazil): "O Matadouro" ("The Slaughterhouse")

Phil K This is the kind of movie that a select type of viewer will really appreciate. At the risk of perhaps not liking it very much, you may indeed be one of few who will love what this movie has to offer.At first I thought the movie was falling quite flat, but I stuck with it because slowly the plot began to unravel and bring up more questions than answers.If you want a film that is willing to do it's own thing, and take it all the way, you will be pleased with Abattoir.

parsonm2 This subject of this movie peaked my interest. A diabolic old man that collects murder scenes from houses, a cult of followers, a small dark nameless town. There are a lot of ideas and themes here to like. The acting is decent and the film looks good but seems to fall short for me. Somehow we just don't get a solid delivery. This should have been the type of movie that was just up my avenue but it came off too far-fetched even for my supernatural horror movie tastes. It's far above much of the sub-standard horror out there and has good production values but it's not a keeper. I'd recommend it for those interested and who enjoy something different but keep your expectations on the low end.

RS I got to see this film at several film festivals and highly recommend it! Abattoir is a very unique and special movie that I am so happy was made. Its not your run of the mill slasher horror and its not your average, generic studio film. You can tell the director wanted to make a film that gives audiences more to chew on and a real mystery to follow. The script is nearly written in prose, with passages of dialogue that hark back to the noir detective movies of the 1940s and 1950s, which I love. The cinematography is also very special, by one of my favorite DPs who shot "Oculus," bringing forth saturated yet contrasted colors and a gorgeous color palette (it is Darren's best filmed movie). However, its the performances that really sell it for me. Dayton Callie in the role of Jebediah Crone is masterful. His persona on screen is mesmerizing and his dialogue in this film is rich with metaphor and color. I absolutely love where he goes with his character and what we see from his character is not expected! Jessica Lowndes playing Julia is fantastic. She brings both strength and real emotion to her character and that jumps off the screen. I love that she embraced her role not as a damsel in distress, but rather blends determination and vulnerability in her work. Joe Anderson plays the perfect detective, with dashes of Bogart and Sinatra at the core. He has the perfect swagger, and I really enjoyed buying into his relationship with Julia.But my favorite role is Allie, played by the amazing Lin Shaye. She always brings depth and dimension to her characters (have you seen her in "The Signal"), and in Abattoir, Lin plays Allie perfectly. Quirky, yet stern and veiled so you cant believe the twists and turns.The movie does have a long second act, as there is lots of story and character. I can also see why if your not paying attention or are watching this film with people who are not paying attention, a lot of the nuance can be missed. But the payoff is huge and once your inside the Abattoir, the film stands apart from anything else out there in the horror, thriller, mystery genre or otherwise. This film is also such a cool premise with an amazing ending that was even more enjoyable the second time I saw it. There were bits and pieces I caught on the second viewing, that missed the first time around. I hope you love it as much as me.