Abandoned Mine

source: Abandoned Mine

Basically, you can't get any worse than this. Acting is mediocre at best. Predictability factor was outrageously easy to see what's coming. Complete waste of time to watch!

Each October I try to watch a Halloween movie for each of the 31 days. Put this off last year as the reviews made it seem like a Disney channel teen drama. It isn't exactly "horror" but isn't exactly some kid friendly Goonies adventure either. First 1/3 is entertaining enuff. Characters are cliches but it works. Townsies who never left and the pre-med who got away back in town for one apparent last hurrah with the old gang. Some old tensions/feelings arise but are mostly background noise to the larger issues (ghosts or no ghosts/getting out of mine) Second 1/3 sees some flashes of claustrophobia. Obviously far from THE DESCENT but you can relate to increasing panic in search of escape as more ghostly seeming events occur. Final 1/3 is strange. Initial "twists" are unfortunately seen a mile away. But things are not as straightforward as it seems, paving way for an ultimately ambiguous ending. While this likely leaves few fully satisfied, I prefer it to the too predictable route I feared it would go. Some of the movie is done in CAM-style footage. The early on recordings/intros to characters are overlaid with flashes of them later in the mine screaming (a very small but unsettling effect). A final CAM recording ends the film, recorded prior to said adventure. Sadly prophetic, it seems to offer a deeper motivation/purpose behind it all (for at least one character). Anyways, that's just my take on it. I dont regret it but doubt I'd ever come back for seconds. It isn't groundbreaking, and the Halloween aspects were minimal at best, but there are far worse movies out there

I thought it was good writing for the genre. It's rare a b movie pays off the skeptic

Five school friends (Sharon, Brad, Laurie, Ethan, Jim) organize to spend Halloween in or near the Jarvis Mine. The abandoned mine is said to be haunted by the ghosts of the Jarvis family, who were murdered so that greedy parties could steal the mine. They bring miner's hats and some climbing supplies (ropes, matches, food) to stay overnight. They make a short descent down a fairly shallow shaft. They find the Jarvis daughters' toys, plus dynamite, tarantulas, and all sorts of stuff. Things are going fine until someone burns through the heavy rope tied to their base at the level of the mine opening. They try to climb out the way that they came, but fail. So they try alternate routes. Jim is too large for some of the passages the group attempts, plus he is claustrophobic. So the party separates. Clever. Jim is stuck where he is until someone can extricate him from above, that is, the place where they came in. The remaining four push on and find more artifacts from the Jarvis family. They follow fresh air. At one juncture, Brad leaves his backpack behind, and goes back to get it. He falls (well, perhaps is pushed) to his apparent death. Sharon, Laurie, and Ethan rush on a bit too quickly. How many of the scares are Halloween pranks, how many are something unexpected? -----Scores----- Cinematography: 5/10 Varies considerably, from crisp and nicely shot to full-on shaky cam found-film nonsense. Sound: 4/10 There is a whole lot of mumbling going on, punctuated by loudness. Acting: z/10 I hate to fault the actors when the script is so bad. Screenplay: 0/10 Scary? No. Thrilling? No. Engaging? No.

I love horror movies and honestly, I'll give almost anything a chance which means I have watched some truly awful movies. Abandoned Mine is definitely not even a candidate for that list. It's not a great movie, but it's far from terrible. I felt invested enough to continue watching until the very end. Sure, it's cliché. But I think the movie goes out of its way to acknowledge that. It has a generic title. It takes place on Halloween. The characters tell a scary story in front of the haunted, abandoned, so-scary-oh-god-no mine about its past on the not quite 100 year anniversary of the tragedy that caused it to be haunted. So, I don't think the movie's really trying to take itself all that seriously. The actors are actually fairly strong for a movie like this. Alexa Vega is always a treat and though she's playing the female character who's afraid of everything, it's hardly ever grating which takes talent. Reiley McClendon straddles the line between jerk and jerkily charming for most of the movie. Adam Hendershott plays a generic, ex-jock character and does it well though his freak out at one point is actually quite good. Charan Prabhakar plays a character that is a stereotype but is also very aware of that; his deadpan delivery of some of the more outlandish lines really sells the character as the best thing about the movie for me. Then there's Saige Thompson. She's not a bad actress but she's definitely the weakest of the group, her big, dramatic moment being the worst in the film. The main thing the movie does wrong is abandon the majority of its ambiguity near the very end causing it to lose whatever originality it had.

Movie is genuinely scary, "and a must watch movie".As a matter for climax, the story just amazed me .This is a movie that would be a perfect fit for young teens. A must buy the movie to watch the scary "faces of your guests", it's really fun.I am sure that whole family will enjoy the film. This movie keeps you on the edge of your seat.This is a perfect suspense thriller."There have been several films of this type recently and the majority are just lazy imitations of The Descent but Abandoned Mine is better than that." I love this movie. The movie is well written and directed, and I am glad that it's scary without over use of nudity and blood.

I Bill Wardell, was actually invited to go and see the premiere of: The MINE in Park City, Utah A Parents Review Of: The MINE What a great movie it was, full of lots of scares, thrills, action and humor, etc… from start to finish it delivered on every level for a great movie experience, plus there were plenty of laughs to go around, with a very surprising twist at the end The beginning of the movie was my most favorite part of the film, the way the director setup the premise and the movie drama right from the start, it was done better than I have seen in a long time!! So, be a little late you'll MISS It! And speaking of a LONG TIME, it has been a very long time since I have watched any movie, especially a very suspenseful and/or of the horror movie genres, that I would even think I could take my younger family too it, or that I would want to take my family to watch. Movies of today are over-sold and over-hyped with profane language, and all the other stuff that makes it not suitable for families. I was able to take my oldest daughter, just about to be a teenager… and wondered if I would regret it, even though I had been assured it was not this type of movie. I figured then I would have to explain a bunch of things going in the movie to my daughter, because it was a PG-13. Now days that does not mean much to an over protective mom and dad, not wanting to expose their kids to the violence, gratuitous sexual innuendos and/or brief nudity as they call it… apparently in Hollywood brief means you still see plenty of the nudity, but it is very fast!! As a parent who doesn't want to have my kids see or hear the awful language every-other word, type of movies, this was a very pleasant surprise to say the least!! "Jeff Chamberlain did a fantastic job of bringing this very well written movie to the big screen… in a very Alfred Hitchcock way. There was none of the bad stuff that you expect of adult type movies with R ratings; in fact he made a real effort to make the movie enjoyable for a broad audience. I commend him on that." I recommend this to any parent who wants their kids to be able to see a good scary movie without all the garbage. Check out this movie. Take the family…. I DID!!! Bill Wardell Keeping Our Kids Safe

This unpretentious little indie caught me and my family just at the right time - after recently walking out of a pretty disgusting horror film. We loved Abandoned Mine for what it is - perfect for younger and family audiences who want a fun ride with twists and turns in some very creepy mine locations. It keeps you guessing up to the very end. If you're claustrophobic, you'll feel it. The acting is very believable. Ethan is hilarious. It seems to be more of a parody on horror films. The generic title Abandoned Mine, "Happy Valley" is where they live, telling ghost stories around the campfire in front of a haunted mine on Halloween - all seems to be purposefully cliché and poking fun. So if you're looking for real serious blood and guts horror, watch something else. This is for those who want some fun scares with psychological twists and turns but don't want to be offended by gratuitous language and nudity. It's a Faith & Family-friendly movie. Great for weekend sleepovers now that school is back in session.

This film is massively mediocre. Now that is obviously not a compliment, but it doesn't have to be an insult either. It has elements of recovered cam shots, but is not a found footage film. It has some elements of horror, but is not scary enough to disturb even the most highly strung small child. It has "coming of age" elements, but you don't really get to know the characters or invest in them enough to care. It's quite cheap, but not funny or "so bad it's good" This reminded me of a cheaper version of a Dawson's Creek Halloween episode. Which is... OK. Would I pay to go and see a Dawson Creek Halloween rip off? Hell No! But if it was on Netflix and I was desperately trying to avoid doing some work I might put it on. Actually I did, and it was... OK