Abigail is a 2024 horror film from Radio Silence—the directing team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett behind the terrifying modern horror hits Ready or Not, 2022’s Scream and last year’s Scream VI, from a screenplay written by Stephen Shields (The Hole in the Ground) and Guy Busick (Scream franchise, Ready or Not). The film is said to be based on and a reimagining of the 1936 Universal Classic Monsters movie Dracula's Daughter.
After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl.
The cast includes Melissa Barrera (Scream franchise, In the Heights), Dan Stevens (Gaslit, Legion), Kathryn Newton (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Freaky), William Catlett (Black Lightning, True Story), Kevin Durand (Resident Evil: Retribution, X-Men Origins: Wolverine) Angus Cloud (Euphoria, North Hollywood), Alisha Weir (Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical, Darklands), and Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad).
Abigail made its debut in theaters April 19th, courtesy of Universal Pictures.
THE GOOD
I am proud of the fact that I appreciate the majority of movie genres, but if I had to pick a few of my favorites would be horror, comedy and action. So naturally if you find a way to combine all three you can count on me being first in line at the movie theater on opening day. I went to see Abigail with the hope that it would somehow scratch that itch, and I was not disappointed. For me this is honestly the pinnacle of the genre mix I was referencing, a hilarious and bloody action horror comedy that is fast paced and exciting.
Abigail starts out like any other heist thriller but quickly turns into much, much more. This film is funny, action-packed, extremely bloody, and full of personality as it blends the vampire genre with the over-the-top kidnapping of a vampire with ties to the seedy underworld. The characters quickly realize that what they thought would be a big time payday is actually much more than any of them could have bargained for, and it was going to be a very long night. Bottom line, I had a ton of fun with Abigail as it further reinforced my appreciation for this genre and its willingness to always think outside of the box. The film does feel like M3GAN (our full review here) at times but is more of the no-holds-barred over-the-top vampire version.
I was impressed with the story as it had quite a bit more depth than I expected. I mean lets be honest, Abigail really didn’t need to have an elaborate screenplay to get asses in the seats because viewers came to see the bloody violence it promised. But to my surprise the story actually has quite a few layers to it as it delves into the criminal underworld. I laughed out loud a ton and really enjoyed the dialogue, primarily the back and forth banter between the unique mix of characters. The sequence of events provided more than enough entertainment value to make for a fantastic genre entry, but the screenplay opened the door for what could be a sequel or even better yet a new franchise. Personally I have my fingers crossed for either one and I will be seeing Abigail again very soon.
I thought the cast was fantastic with the perfect mix of different personalities and plenty of likeable characters. Melissa Barrera leads the way as the mysterious and strong-willed Joey who is in charge of keeping an eye on Abigail as the crew awaits receipt of the ransom demands. Barrera plays a complex character who makes it clear from the beginning that she cares about the well-being of the little girl they kidnapped. I loved her character and continue to applaud her decisions to take on these roles in the action horror/slasher genre after joining the reboots of the Scream franchise. Dan Stevens plays Frank, easily the most unlikable character as he clearly thinks he is smarter than everyone else and is out for himself. Stevens provides the necessary presence of the mastermind of the crew and I thought his character worked well within the dynamic of the film.
Ireland born actress Alisha Weir plays Abigail and I thought she was fantastic. This is a pretty unique role as she is initially portrayed as this cute and innocent little ballerina who slowly begins to reveal a much more sinister side. Weir never once came across as corny to me, and I felt like she had a ton of fun with this role as she performed a dance number right before ripping out her victims throat. Kathryn Newton, who recently starred in Lisa Frankenstein and the 2020 film Freaky is no stranger to the wackier side of the horror genre.
Newton was one of my favorite characters as she had this certain attitude about her making her character fun and easy to root for. William Catlett, Kevin Durand, and Giancarlo Esposito all play smaller roles but each brought great value to the film. In particular I enjoyed Durant as he played the musclebound dummy who was convinced that being stronger than everyone was more than enough. He contributed to quite a few laughs for me. Also a bittersweet shoutout to late actor Angus Cloud in one of his final roles. I really liked his character and thought he delivered one heck of a performance as the black sheep of the crew.
I won’t necessarily say that the action sequences and technical elements are the bread and butter for Abigail, but they wouldn’t be far from the truth. Anyone excited to see this movie was looking forward to watching a blood-sucking 4-foot nothing little girl going on a murderous rampage, and this film absolutely delivers. Abigail looks fantastic as a vampire which is a testament to the special effects crew and the makeup team. Fans of M3GAN (our full review here) will pick up on the similarities of the two films right away, and trust me when I say that is a really good thing. The star of Abigail is this seemingly harmless and innocent little ballerina who turns out to be a vampire, and they had a ton of fun with this. Several times throughout the film she would be covered in blood and just decide to do a dance number before murdering someone, and yes it was as fantastic as it sounds each time. The action sequences were very intense, and I thought the score/soundtrack tied everything together perfectly. Once it gets going Abigail is a fast-paced action horror film that is never boring.
THE BAD
As far as my expectations for the film Abigail met and exceeded them, simple as that. Now as I talked about in the review I love films like this as long as the execution is up to snuff, and that was without a doubt the case here. The idea of the film is as ridiculous as it sounds, but people need to understand that this is the definition of escapism entertainment. I felt like this world that was created within Abigail felt real, and for me that is more than worth the price of admission. Now is the violence and the dialogue over-the-top more often than not? Sure it is, but that is the point. Genre fans will have a difficult time picking Abigail apart.
THE VERDICT
A gloriously blood-soaked and action-packed pirouette under the bright lights for the action horror genre, Abigail does not hold back and was an absolute blast to experience in theaters. I had so much fun with this movie and just appreciated the tone and the feel which remained consistent throughout. The story was interesting, the characters were great, the humor was on point, and the special effects and action sequences were so damn satisfying. If you have any appreciation whatsoever for this genre, Abigail is without a doubt a film that you need to see sooner than later.
TED TAKES RATING - 8.6/10
Abigail is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.