Abigail [Review]
Abigail makes a hilarious and gory horror concoction out of heist, crime, haunted house, and vampire film tropes.
Melissa Barrera and Dan Stevens. Credit: Universal Pictures
In Radio Silence’s Abigail, a team of thieves—made up of a wheelman, muscle, a hacker, and others you’d expect in a heist crew—kidnap Abigail, a 12 year old girl, to ransom her to her wealthy father. Their handler and mastermind of the caper instructs them to hold the girl in a (creepy) mansion for 24 hours as they wait for their demands to be met. Little do they know that Abigail is actually a vampire, and the situation quickly spins out of control. I was immediately hooked by the film’s premise and was not left disappointed.
The film opens with the kidnapping. The thieves prep as Abigail (Alisha Weir) finishes a ballet rehearsal, then kidnap her when she gets home and deliver her to the rendezvous location, an old mansion. Up to this point Abigail plays like a heist film—the team has pulled off a gig, and it’d be easy to assume that the remainder of the movie will be a pulpy potboiler about dealing with the aftermath, a-la Reservoir Dogs.
Kathryn Newton, Melissa Barrera, Kevin Durand, and Dan Stevens. Credit: Universal Pictures
The first hint that something’s up is a horror setup that enters the picture here: the ensemble must spend 24 hours in a creepy house. There’s still time remaining before the film reveals its true premise; it takes nearly an hour before the audience discovers that Abigail is a vampire that’s happy to murder her kidnappers. It made me wish that I’d known less about the movie before that carpet pull, though I understand the need to reveal it in the film’s early marketing. Even before we find out Abigail is a vampire, the movie already establishes real stakes for its characters. She’s just the final cherry on top.
Despite knowing more than I would’ve liked, I had a blast watching the movie. Radio Silence (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett) confidently directs Stephen Shields’ and Guy Busick’s sharp screenplay. The directors shoot the action dynamically; it’s fast and brutal, punctuated by gore that earns the movie its R rating. And thank goodness for that, because a PG-13 would’ve defanged this movie. Not only does Radio Silence nail the action and gore, their deft direction of the ensemble of actors makes the jokes land.
Alisha Weir. Credit: Universal Pictures
Abigail is wickedly funny, with a cast that has the chemistry needed to pull it off. Melissa Barrera plays Joey, a field medic with something to lose and the emotional core of the film. She drives one of the more inventive character backstory exposition scenes I’ve seen in recent memory. Dan Stevens is in full scumbag mode as Frank, the head of the team. He was a highlight for me along with Kevin Durand, playing Peter, the affable, dopey French Canadian muscle of the team. The late Angus Cloud puts in a memorable performance as Dean, the dim, sociopathic wheelman that’s in a bit over his head. Finally, Kathryn Newton (of Lisa Frankenstein) plays Sammy, the hacker on the team, who gets a fantastic dance scene in the latter half of the movie. Alisha Weir is good as the alternately innocent and diabolical little girl, but her physical performance as a vampire ballerina is the most impressive part of her turn as Abigail. Finally, Giancarlo Esposito is a lot of fun in the small but memorable role of Lambert, the team’s handler.
Kathryn Newton. Credit: Universal Pictures
I should also say that I loved the movie’s practical effects. The way this movie looks compared with the digital blood and effects of movies like last year’s dismal Renfield is night and day. Actors being thrown around, blood cannons, and physical sets are real movie magic.
Abigail isn’t especially unique, but it does that it does very, very well, juggling its various genre parts with precision. Despite not quite reaching the level of the best modern, unconventional vampire films such as Near Dark or Thirst, I’ve added Abigail to my list. Abigail is one of the most gleeful, fun horror movies I’ve seen in a while. Watch it in a theater with an audience if you can!
Abigail premieres in theaters on April 19th.
