The newly released film Abigail is sure to please both horror fans and casual moviegoers alike. When a quirky cast of characters, led by Melissa Barerra, kidnap a crime lord’s daughter Abigail for ransom, they find out that she’s no ordinary 12-year-old ballerina, but a vicious vampire, who’s blood-thirsty for revenge.
Going into the film- I had high expectations for the new movie from the horror director duo of Scream, Scream VI, and Ready or Not, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. This duo has easily proven themselves to be amazing directors and some of the strongest voices in modern horror way before Abigail and boy did they deliver! Abigail is a perfect addition to their horror filmography. Though the movie didn’t have many scares, it serves as more of a classic slasher with gnarly kills, lovable characters that get go too soon, and of course a total bloodbath by the end. These are the makings of a story that’s wildly entertaining and fun, even if it is a little goofy and not necessarily original.
One of the main reasons why this movie works so well is because of the amazing cast of strong, likable characters. The cast includes scream queen Melissa Barerra, Katheryn Newton, Dan Stevens, Giancarlo Esposito, the late Angus Cloud (whom the film is dedicated to), and Abigail herself, Alisha Weir, who recently starred in the dramatically different role of Matilda. Each character was compelling in their own ways, by their mystery like Barerra and Stevens, goofiness like Cloud, or skillset like Newton. The movie really gets the audience interested in the characters and their past. For a movie that’s about a homicidal vampire ballerina, it’s a feat to make the audience care about the characters backstories and not just the present situation they found themselves in.
My main criticism of the film is honestly how it was marketed. The trailers that We’ve been seeing in the theaters for months before Abigail’s release basically spoiled the main reveal that they were trying to build up. The trailers all depicted Abigail as a monster and said the word “vampire” in each trailer. For the first third of the movie, our characters have no idea that innocent looking girl they’ve kidnapped is actually a vampire, and the audience isn’t supposed to either. Any audience member who saw any of the marketing for the film already knew this, which made the first part of the movie a bit slow, as we already knew the reveal, and what the characters were about to go through. The whole film would have worked better if it was marketed in a way where the audience doesn’t know that Abigail is a vampire prior to seeing the film.
Despite the marketing mishap which led to a weak beginning, the rest of the movie was absolutely fantastic. I believe that Abigail is worth a watch for the incredible cast of characters and hilariously fun concept. Who doesn’t want to see an adorable little ballerina girl rip her kidnappers to shreds? I’m not going to say that this movie is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, because it absolutely is, but whether you’re a fan of slashers or simply looking for a bloody good time at the movies, give Abigail a try, you won’t regret it!