'Girl in the Shed: The Kidnapping of Abby Hernandez': True-crime drama will haunt you

Lifetime's true-crime story detailing one of America's most scary cases of abduction does a good job at bringing a very real threat to life
PUBLISHED FEB 27, 2022
Lindsay Navarro as Abby Hernandez, Ben Savage as  Nathaniel Kibby (Lifetime)
Lindsay Navarro as Abby Hernandez, Ben Savage as Nathaniel Kibby (Lifetime)

True-crime dramas continue to scare and fascinate as the fact that all the events that happened in real life make the content all the more impactful. Lifetime taking the true-crime route has just released a chilling story of abduction that left America shook.

Lifetime's' 'Girl in the Shed: The Kidnapping of Abby Hernandez' is based on the real-life kidnapping that happened in 2013 and lasted for close to a year. The official network synopsis reads: "The true story of 14-year-old freshman Abby Hernandez who vanished while walking home from school in North Conway, New Hampshire. Kicking off the state’s largest search, Abby’s disappearance left her family, especially her mother Zenya, investigators, and the community mystified of her whereabouts. Taken by Nathaniel Kibby, Abby was kept in a soundproof container and forced to wear a shock collar while enduring psychological, sexual, and emotional abuse. Despite suffering daily torture, Abby kept hope alive that she would one day be able to see her family again." Read on to know our thoughts on the chilling watch.

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The movie begins as we see a young Abby Hernandez go about her day at school. But when she misses the bus back home, she does what she usually does with her friends and decides to hitchhike her way home. This regular activity so far has proven to be a comfortable method, but a fateful encounter with a seemingly kind and helpful man leads her to what will become her most traumatic experience in life.

Erica Durance as Zenya, Abby's mother (Lifetime)

The movie brings to light the very real threat of stranger danger as you never know who is out to get you. Wasting no time the movie dives into the harrowing ordeal of being abducted that leaves you worried about it happening to you. Lindsay Navarro as Abby Hernandez does an excellent job as a girl who does her best to survive. You feel her fear and the gears of her mind turning as she realizes the things she needs to do in order to gain her captor's trust. Erica Durance who plays her mom, does a thorough job of expressing a mother's pain and desperation to get her child back. But the true star of the movie is Ben Savage who plays the unstable kidnapper Nathaniel Kibby. Right from portraying the psychologically imbalanced side who plays victim and cries to the dangerous predator who subjects Abby to torture, Savage has done very well. His acting will leave you scared and concerned as he is the embodiment of every woman's worst nightmare come true.

Lindsay Navarro as Abby Hernandez, Ben Savage as Nathaniel Kibby (Lifetime)

The movie gives a detailed experience of the harrowing events that happened to the girl who survived hell and will leave you haunted. From the moment danger rears its head to the eventual taste of freedom, Abby's story will take you on a wild journey. Although she makes a safe return, the flick serves as a reminder of the constant threat that anyone could face at any time.

'Girl in the Shed: The Kidnapping of Abby Hernandez' is available to watch on the Lifetime Channel.

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