[REVIEW] Abigail (2024)

Abigail is the new film by Radio Silence ( Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett ), the team previously behind Ready or Not, Scream 2022, and Scream 6. The film is a blood-soaked wild ride filled with scares, twists and turns, and great practical effects that for sure will have horror fans and theatergoers entertained.

The film follows a team of six petty criminals who are hired by a man named Lambert ( played by Giancarlo Esposito ) to kidnap the daughter of a wealthy “businessman” and hold her for a ransom. The team of six consists of Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, William Catlett, Kevin Durand, and the late Angus Cloud. They all get code names given to them by Lambert in a scene that reminds me of similar scenes in other heist films, such as Reservoir Dogs. This way they have names to refer to each other and not risk themselves or the little girl Abigail hearing their real names.

It seems like a fairly simple job at first. Kidnap and watch over the little girl at an old mansion that Lambert has for them to hold her until they hear from her father about the ransom money. It is not long, though, till things start going south, and they realize the mistake they made. Abigail is no ordinary little girl but a bloodthirsty vampire. Now, the team must put aside any distrust and work together to survive the night.

The cast overall are great and each bring something unique to their respective characters and how they interact with one another. The standout, though, is Alisha Weir as Abigail, who gives a wonderful performance as the titular character. The way she shifts from playing as scared little Abigail to the blood thirsty vampire shows great acting talent. There is something so thrilling about seeing the carnage she unleashes.

The film is definitely a bloody good time with some great kills and the use of practical blood and gore effects. There are twists and turns in the plot,  some funny moments, and then just some silly things here and there that make it a film you can just sit back and not have to overthink and just enjoy a fun new entry in horror/vampire films. It’s a fun watch because you can tell that Radio Silence is not trying to reinvent the wheel or do anything too groundbreaking with it but just make a really fun bloody vampire movie. Yet they still make it feel like its own thing with elements from their past films, most notably Ready or Not, while including the staple things in most vampire films. So, if you are looking for a fun and bloody time at the movies, go sink your fangs into Abigail, out on April 18, 2024, only in theaters.

Abigail info:

Release date: April 19th,2024

Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett

Writers: Stephen Shields and Guy Busick

Starring: Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Alisha Weir, Kathryn Newton, William Catlett, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud, and Giancarlo Esposito.