Abandoned (2022)

Abandoned works best as a slow-burn haunted-house thriller that’s really about something scarier than ghosts: the isolating, corrosive pressure of new motherhood when you’re alone with your thoughts in a place that feels miles from help. Spencer Squire keeps the dread close and intimate, letting the remote farmhouse and its half-glimpsed history tighten around you while the film smartly blurs the line between what’s supernatural and what’s psychological. Emma Roberts gives a committed, raw performance at the center, with John Gallagher Jr. grounding the story in weary concern and Michael Shannon adding an uneasy, unpredictable charge whenever he enters the frame. If you want wall-to-wall shocks, this may feel restrained, but if you like horror that creeps under the skin with mood, tension, and emotional stakes, it’s an unsettling little watch.

Abandoned wants to be a slow-burn haunted farmhouse mystery that blends ghost-story chills with the very real terror of postpartum mental health, and that’s a solid ambition. The problem is it rarely builds momentum: the scares feel routine, the atmosphere stays oddly flat for such a creepy setup, and the story circles the same dread without delivering a satisfying escalation. Emma Roberts does what she can with the material and Michael Shannon adds a bit of uneasy weight, but the script doesn’t give them enough sharp turns or payoff. If you like restrained, moody horror with more suggestion than thrills you might coast along, but if you’re expecting genuine suspense, fresh twists, or a conclusion that lands, this one will likely feel like a long walk to nowhere.