I usually don’t watch horror movies. It’s not that I don’t like a good scare; it’s just that they’re usually boring and don’t make a lot of sense to me. That’s not to say that all scary movies fall into this category, it’s just what category that this film falls under.
So Abbey Grace is about an OCD agoraphobic named Ben (Jacob Hobbs) and his sister, Stacey (Debbie Sheridan). Anyways, this follows the Ben as he tries to overcome his fear and go outside. They’re being haunted by this spirit called Abbey Grace whose introduction is her painting a creepy picture after killing another girl in the home. To help them, Stacey brings her friends Bridget (Amber Gallaway) and Roman (Semi Anthony) over to help amend the problems in the home. Stacey also has a dog named Duke (Roach) who delivers the best performance of the film.
This is probably one of the dumbest movies I’ve seen in a long time. It’s kinda charming in its own way, though. So Ben is afraid of germs and going inside to the point where he has many cleaning products scattered through the house. But the dude lives in a dirty house! He also allowed a dog to live in his house. Ben should’ve never let that dog step a paw into his house. He also lets another person come into contact with him because he thinks she’s pretty and eventually gets over all of his problems for her. It doesn’t make sense why he would shift his beliefs that he’s held since he was a kid for a girl.
Stacey’s character also doesn’t make a lot of sense. It’s never explained why she left her life to come live with her brother. It’s a total career change that makes no sense to me. Like it shouldn’t matter, right? But if she’s not bringing in any income, I feel like it does. I also don’t understand her character with a connection to Bridget because they seem like people who aren’t that good of friends. They had no chemistry and it’s kinda weird if your friend starts dating your brother immediately, right?
I don’t understand Abbey Grace’s powers. After each part of the film, she gets stronger and stronger. Like originally, she was just controlling the surrounding atmosphere and making things feel creepy. Then, she controls the dog. Then, she controls Stacey. Then, she manifests in human form in front of Roman while controlling Stacey. It doesn’t make a lot of sense because this spirit has God-like powers. I was blown away by how strong they made her with the way to beat her being put her in a box. I also didn’t get why she had to make Stacey limp. I know it was an easy way to identify her, but isn’t the purpose of taking over a new body to escape the limits of the old one? So she should hypothetically be controlling people to lose her bad leg.
The story is confusing and I think that’s why none of the characters made a lot of sense to me. It tries to convince you that you care about these characters and never gives you a reason to. The biggest reason to root for Ben is that he’s fighting a mental disability and Stacey gave up her life to helping him, so she has the moral high ground. But other than that, I didn’t find any good qualities between the two characters. They’re molded by their disdain for the deceased parents and how much they hate life now. I just didn’t connect with any character’s motivations. Also, I think it’s a little ridiculous that a dog digging up something caused all of this chaos. Also, Stacey shouldn’t have figured out where the case was because the dog dug it up, not her.
Overall, this film is boring, lackluster, and confusing. The end scene was actually all right, but I’d skip this film because it just doesn’t make a lot of sense. Maybe if you’re looking for a horror movie that will convince you that your movie idea for a horror film isn’t that bad, then maybe this is the one for you.
Grade: D
