HOLLYWOOD—I thought nothing about this movie when I first saw it. I didn’t think it would be entertaining and when movies hit theaters in late April they are not always solid because it is the big lead up to the summer box-office season. However, I was so pleasantly surprised with the horror flick “Abigail.” All I knew was that it was a kidnapping gone gravely wrong and the narrative just works.
The movie follows a group of misfits, and the chemistry between them works. You have the mastermind, the heroine, the comedy chick, the badass, the character that I barely remember and then you have “Euphoria” star Angus Cloud in his last starring role before his death as the laughable goon. In the midst of all that, we have “Scream” (2022) and “Scream VI” star Melissa Barrera in a starring role as Joey, a woman with a troubling past.
She is the glue that keeps all these characters together, and as Joey, Barrera does a solid job. She is emphatic to our title character and has her head on straight that not all is as it seems. Long story short, the group kidnaps a little girl in hopes of getting a massive payday. There is one major problem, that little girl is a vampire. I will admit, if I didn’t know that before seeing the movie it may have strengthened the punch when the audience actually discovers that instead of already knowing it.
After that big reveal, it is not your typical horror formula followed here. People don’t die systematically without knowing what is taking place. Our characters are well-aware of the threat and do their best to fight back. What “Abigail” does exceptionally well is balance humor, with action and with some actual horror. I was surprised how many times I laughed at some of the moments in this movie, not because they were cheesy, but because it was actually funny dialogue exchanged between characters or because of a specific situation that played out.
The character of ‘Abigail’ is portrayed with absolute perfection by Alisha Weir is genius. She reminded me a bit of the title character in “M3gan” with the difference being this character is a potty mouth, sharp-witted and not afraid to snap a few throats and draw blood in the process. Dan Stevens as the anti-hero Frank was quite fun to watch as well. You truly don’t know if he’s a good guy, if he’s lying or if he’s being frankly honest.
No one is to be trusted and that is a success of a clever script and solid direction from Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillet. Those were the same guys behind the successful rebirth of the “Scream” franchise that returned to the screen in 2022. The ending of this movie I totally didn’t expect at all, but I loved the twists and surprises that were delivered to the audience. “Abigail” is a movie that audiences will have a great time with but be warned the blood level is quite excessive and relentless at times.
