'Abruptio' Impresses Critics

         On September 27, 2024, Anchor Bay Entertainment released 'Abruptio', which has earned rave reviews from critics, currently holding at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. In the film, "Les Hackel hates his life. He works a dead-end job, was just dumped by his high-maintenance girlfriend, and still lives with his nagging mom. One night, he discovers a fresh incision behind his neck. His friend Danny tells him it's a bomb, that someone has implanted one in his neck, too. And then the messages start coming in, forcing Les to carry out missions with deadly results. Les is partnered up with a series of oddball characters to commit heinous tasks. The violence escalating around him, Les pieces together the clues that reveal the horrific plans to breed a monstrous race of beings." The ensemble cast includes Hana Mae Lee, Jordan Peele, Robert Englund, James Marsters, and Christopher McDonald. Read the full review round-up below.

       Kyle Logan of Cultured Vultures says, "Abruptio is a singular film on almost every level, which makes it worth seeking out for fans of weird movies, but it has some ideological issues and isn’t quite good enough to transcend its niche." Adding, "That narrative structure allows the movie to explore different genres and poke at the “we’re all puppets in this world” concept from various angles, but it costs the film narrative momentum. There’s no real sense of urgency outside of the various missions that Les is sent on, even as the backdrop of the film tells a story of the world falling apart. Yet despite that lack of narrative momentum, there’s a sense that you can’t look away because you never know what’s going to happen next."

        Jennie Kermode of Eye for Film praises the film, stating, "As you’d expect, there’s a huge amount of creativity here. The expressiveness of the puppets is impressive and very well used, but there are also some wonderfully anarchic elements as we see them interacting with real world props and settings. There are no sex scenes but an interesting approach to sexuality highlights the ways that women are objectified in conventional thrillers, and does so hilariously, whilst Les’ journey includes an element of coming to terms with why some women find him creepy and resisting his desire to take advantage of Chelsea (Hana Mae Lee), a young woman who tumbles into his life in a desperately vulnerable state and who would end up as the hero’s girlfriend in 90% of such films." Continuing, "Horror fans will find the film a particular treat because of the great cameos it includes from legendary stars like Robert Englund and Sid Haig, both of whom are lots of fun. It also plays with classic genre themes, to it own ends. Rather than limiting itself to playing out the bomb plot, it expands stage by stage to build up a complex universe, before pulling the rug from under us at the very end. The way that it does this bears interesting parallels with another recent genre film, but that’s where the comparison ends. Abruptio is something unique. If you find it distressing, try to keep watching. There are some things which should distress us, and for all its delicious dark comedy, Marlowe’s deeply human film reminds us why."

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

     David Gelmini of Dread Central notes, "Viewers who are not perturbed by the use of human-sized puppets will commend Abruptio for its unique visual-style and its audacious premise. And those who are too perturbed by its irregularity will still find it too damn strange to completely ignore." Adding, "Abruptio is a film that clearly likes to screw with the minds of its viewers. In addition to its perplexing visual style, it also forces us to think about how far we would go if we were being ordered to carry out evil tasks. The use of puppets will also haunt most viewers because, in addition to their disquieting lifelike designs, there was just something so incredibly unsettling about seeing puppets bleeding and taking damage in the same way a human body would."

       Stephanie Malone of Morbidly Beautiful writes, "With impressive creativity and craftsmanship, “Abruptio” is astonishing — a film full of puppets that probes the depth of humanity. It will draw many viewers in on the strength of its unique gimmick. But rest assured; it’s far from a one-trick pony." Concluding, "The puppet work is beyond impressive and worthy of accolades. But Marlowe sacrifices nothing in terms of story or character development. This is the total package."