Abandoned: reviews

What the critics say average 4.2 from 24 outlets

• 6.7 Assignment XAbbie Bernstein This works well enough – the notion that individuals and specific hauntings have an affinity for one another is big enough to share. It’s just that ABANDONED doesn’t seem to quite know what to do with it in the end. Read
• 6.5 Film ThreatRob Rector Abandoned delivers tension with a more nuanced approach to a particularly emotionally vulnerable stage of life. Read
• 6.0 Eye for FilmJennie Kermode It’s the central relationship between mother and baby which forms the most interesting part of what is otherwise a fairly straightforward ghost story. Read
• 6.0 Heaven of HorrorKarina Adelgaard There is a strong psychological horror base that keeps you very engaged. Especially thanks to a very tight grip on that eerie vibe that never lets up. Read
• 5.0 The PlaylistOliver Weir Ultimately, neither Squire nor Roberts nor Gallagher Jr. really puts a foot wrong in this movie, but that’s chiefly because the whole thing is standing still. Read
• 5.0 The Film StageJared Mobarak This is a very slow-moving work that leans heavily on auditory scares rather than visual ones, the whole akin to sleep-deprivation torture. Read
• 4.5 Film InquiryStephanie Archer As Abandoned closes, as a viewer, I felt that the character of Sarah was completely abandoned by both writer and director. Read
• 4.5 Creators SyndicateKurt Loder It is my considered opinion that all strange neighbors — and maybe all weirdos — should be played by Michael Shannon, who radiates an oddity that seems to me entirely heartfelt. Read
• 4.0 The WrapElizabeth Weitzman A listless thriller that can’t find its footing, “Abandoned” does occasionally rouse itself enough to suggest a better movie that never comes to pass. Read
• 4.0 Screen RantAlexander Harrison Abandoned has a few things in its favor, but the disappointing conclusion obscures them while making the movie's flaws even more prominent, which ultimately makes it difficult to recommend. Read
• 4.0 Dread CentralChad Collins Emma Roberts shines in Abandoned, a haunted house movie that, like the titular abode, soon shows its age. Read
• 4.0 CBRJon Mendelsohn The film falls apart by the end partly because it doesn't fully commit to being either a predictable haunted house movie or a metaphorical modern thriller. Read
• 4.0 Common Sense MediaJeffrey M. Anderson Despite a strong cast and some solid performances, this psychological horror/thriller isn't just confusing but also just plain bland, wheeling out all the old horror clichés without much enthusiasm. Read
• 4.0 Punch Drunk CriticsTravis Hopson Put this trio of actors in another movie with greater stakes and a riskier narrative and you’ve got something special. Read
• 4.0 MovieWebJulian Roman Abandoned follows textbook instructions on how to craft a contrived horror film. It's achingly formulaic with a molasses drip delivery. Read
• 4.0 Alternate EndingCatherine Clark The problem with a pastiche like this is that it follows in the treads of previous excellent films and doesn't quite measure up. Read
• 4.0 Showbiz Cheat SheetLauren Anderson Overall, Abandoned feels confused about the kind of movie it wants to be. Read
• 3.8 Roger EbertBrian Tallerico There’s just no meat on this film’s bones. Gallagher gets a non-character and Roberts is left hanging by being forced to play post-partum as a horror trope. Read
• 3.8 Mark Reviews MoviesMark Dujsik On the other hand, the movie messes with our perception and understanding so many times that it's difficult to determine what that final point is. Read
• 3.3 One Guy's OpinionFrank Swietek A haunted house movie should be genuinely unnerving; this one is simply incoherent and dull. Read
• 3.0 JoBloTyler Nichols Abandoned is not a good film in any sense of the word. Read
• 2.5 Movie NationRoger Moore The Erik Patterson and Jessica Scott script is laughably generic, and even the potentially alarming moments are given a cut-rate handling by director Spencer Squire. Read
• 2.0 Culture MixCarla Hay It’s the type of derivative haunted house movie that’s just recycled trash. Read
• 1.9 Spectrum CultureAlan Zilberman His film is meant as an allegory, a common trope among modern horror, but the message is lost because all the characters make decisions that bear no semblance to ordinary human behavior. Read