The opening few seconds of the 2024 horror / comedy Abigail had me grinning from ear-to-ear. Already aware going in that it was a vampire flick (the trailer made sure to spoil that little surprise), I got a bit giddy when Tchaikovsky’s "Swan Lake" started playing over images of a child ballerina, dancing her little heart out on-stage. "Swan Lake" was, of course, the very music that kicked off 1931’s Dracula, the classic Universal vampire film and the movie that practically spawned the horror genre in America. That cool homage was enough to convince me directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are horror fans like the rest of us, and I figured that, for the next 110 minutes, I was in good hands.
And then Abigail proceeded to exceed my expectations and blow me away!
The young ballerina is our title character, Abigail (Alisha Weir). She doesn’t know it yet, but she is being stalked by a team of kidnappers, a group of criminals and outcasts each with their own specific skillset. The goal: kidnap young Abigail and hold her in a remote mansion hideaway until her rich daddy coughs up a $50 million ransom.
For security reasons, the kidnappers do not know each other’s names. Instead, their employer, Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito), assigns them aliases inspired by the Rat Pack. Frank (Dan Stevens) is the unappointed leader of the group, mostly because his pissed-off demeanor intimidates the others. Joey (Melissa Barrera) obviously has some medical training, and is there to watch over Abigail. Sammy (Kathryn Newton) is a computer hacker who does it for kicks, while the dim-witted Peter (Kevin Durand) is the muscle. Rounding out the team are Dean (Angus Cloud), the stoner who is also a hell of a getaway driver, and Rickles (Will Callett), the ex-military weapons expert.
The kidnapping goes off without a hitch. Abigail is tied up and tucked away in one of the mansion’s upstairs bedrooms. Frightened and confused, the young girl is comforted by Joey, and a bond forms between them. As for the others, they have nothing to do but wait for Lambert to return in 24 hours with their share of the ransom money, and spend their time enjoying the amenities of their luxurious hide-out.
It isn’t long, though, before the criminals realize they are not alone, and that someone… or something… is stalking them. As the hours drag on, the odds that any of these criminals will survive the ordeal grow longer and longer.
As mentioned above, the trailer spoiled the fact that Abigail, which opens as a crime / thriller, transforms into a vampire film at some point (much like the trailer for Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till Dawn ruined a similar twist in that film). Now, for those of you who have not seen the trailer, I will reveal nothing more. But for those who have watched the trailer and not the movie, rest easy. Abigail features additional twists and turns, each as surprising as the last.
The primary reason these surprises work is the film’s superior cast. Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, and the others do a masterful job bringing this diverse set of kidnappers to life. Their various interactions are at the core of this film, from the camaraderie that builds between some (Sammy and Peter flirt a little early on, which develops into mutual trust and genuine affection once things get real) to the antagonism that blossoms amongst others (Frank and Joey engage in a battle of wills that only intensifies with each new scene).
When all is said and done, however, the finest performance in Abigail is given by Abigail herself, Alisha Weir. Her range is phenomenal, and she is convincing as both a frightened child and a bad-ass in complete control. Ms. Weir steals every scene in Abigail. And that is no exaggeration. Every… damn… scene! I would go so far as to rank her turn as Abigail up there with Hailee Steinfeld’s Mattie Ross in 2010’s True Grit as one of the greatest child performances ever captured on film. There are many reasons to watch Abigail, and Alisha Weir is at the top of that list.
What else does Abigail have going in its favor? Well, it’s a horror / comedy that works on both levels, with copious amounts of blood spewed in every direction (though enhanced digitally, the majority of the gore scenes were done practically, and it shows) and plenty of laughs (often times, the funniest moments are the ones featuring graphic violence). Abigail proved an incredibly entertaining motion picture, and if you have not yet seen it, you should absolutely treat yourself and watch it right now!
Rating: 9.5 out of 10
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