Director(s) – Matt Bettinelli-Olpin (Scream, Scream VI) and Tyler Gillett (Ready or Not, Soutbound)
Starring – Melissa Barrera (Your Monster, Scream VI), Dan Stevens (Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Cuckoo), and Alisha Weir (Don’t Leave Home, Wicked Little Letters)
Release Date -2024
Rating – 3.5/5
I will always credit Tom Savini’s remake of Night of the Living Dead as the film that got me into horror. It wasn’t long after that when I first took the deep dived into the original Night of the Living Dead and it’s two sequels at that time. While it was zombies that introduced me to it, it was vampires that became my first genre obsession. I remember renting films like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Fright Night, Children of the Night, Subspecies, and so on over and over again as a kid at the local video store.
Even now I find myself going out of my way to review vampire flicks when I get the chance. That’s why I was beyond excited when news broke of Universal’s vampire flick Abigail and rumors that it would be jumpstarting their new Monsterverse. I followed this one closely and as soon as I was able to review I jumped at the opportunity. I want to thank Universal for sending this one over!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a small team of criminals who kidnap the little girl of a wealthy man. They were brought together to kidnap her and hold her for ransom without being told who her father is. However, as the night progresses they suspect she is the daughter of a underworld crime boss. When they start to go missing one by one and turning up dead they quickly realize that the little girl they kidnapped is a real life monster. **Spoiler alert**
I didn’t expect Abigail to be my next new favorite film but I was hoping it would be extremely bloody and violent. However, after finally getting to see it I can safely say that this is one of my favorite films of the year. It is bloody and violent that works well with the story.
The acting in this one is a lot of fun. While I wouldn’t call it the best acting I’ve seen in a recent horror feature, I will say that the cast gives viewers some great characters that they can associate with or love watching them die. They all have backstories, distinct personalities and truly brought something to the story.
The story for this one is not what I was expecting at all. I knew it involved a group of people trapped inside a building with a child-like vampire. While they is the basic premise, it still has a lot more going on with the organized crime angle and her “father” being a very powerful vampire. Honestly, I fucking loved this story and can’t wait to see where they take it next with the future expansions.
Finally, this one does not shy away from the red stuff. We get some pretty imaginative deaths that not only fits in with the vampire theme but gives some of the more dedicated horror the amazing effects they were looking for. Overall, Abigail is a fun modern vampire film that doesn’t ride the coattails of other known properties. It creates it’s own legend with so much room to expand. I highly recommend checking it out.
