The Abyss Below

A short supernatural horror film written and directed by Jack Turner and starring Tommy Carmichael, Naomi Richards and Steve Huggins.

An injured woman (Richards) dials 999, telling the dispatcher that her son, Samuel (Carmichael) attacked her and she knocked him unconscious in self-defence. However, it is soon revealed that is not the case, as Samuel is actually lying on the kitchen floor, dead, with multiple stab wounds. His mother killed him. Then, Samuel wakes up in the forest, in a state of shock, having presumably died and entered the afterlife. After walking around for a while, he encounters a middle-aged man (Huggins), who claims to be his father, Lucius, who passed away a long time ago. Following an emotional reunion, Lucius tells his son that he must make a choice: stay with his father or return to the world of the living and confront his mum.

A tense and dark story that begins as a thriller about domestic violence before entering the supernatural. One rather evident feature is the eerie and ominous music by Lennie Stanford that creates a feeling of tension throughout the film. The plot is quite intriguing and keeps holding the viewer's attention over eleven dramatic minutes, with murder, reunion in life after death and revenge dominating the narrative.

Although sometimes the acting is not very convincing, generally, it is decent. Carmichael plays a youngster who has fallen victim to his mother's murderous intentions and finds solace and happiness by being with his father. However, he appears to be a person who cannot leave the past behind. Huggins' character comes across as a loving father, who might also have a hidden dark side. Richards portrays a woman who pretty much serves as the story's villain, a disturbed woman who seems to be homicidal.

Murder is what primarily drives the plot, particularly filicide and mariticide. The film explores mother-and-son and father-and-son relationships and provides its version of the afterlife and also acknowledges domestic violence, self-reflection, reminiscing the past and choices. Furthermore, it appears to be stated that revenge leads to bad consequences.

This short can be appreciated for the themes that it explores and it can also be viewed for the interesting plot. Overall, this is a film that is gripping from start to finish.