Abigail review: Little Miss Vampire wants to play!
Glenn Cochrane
STACK Senior Editor
Radio Silence is the creative team behind movies like 'Ready or Not' and the two recent 'Scream' sequels. They're also responsible for the twisted new vampire flick, 'Abigail', about a pre-teen ballet dancing vamp who likes to play with her food.
A modern spin on the classic Universal movie Dracula's Daughter (1936), Abigail has the simple premise of seven kidnappers being trapped inside a mansion with a tween vampire on the loose. They had been hired by their boss (Giancarlo Esposito) to abduct the daughter of an unnamed billionaire and keep her hostage until a ransom is paid.
Of course, the girl turns out to be a bloodthirsty, potty-mouthed creature of the night who toys with her captors before slipping out of her handcuffs and playing chasey around the house. It's a super-fun and blood-caked caper that harks back to classic vampire movies while adhering to the comedic stylings that directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett have become known for.
If you can recall movies like House on Haunted Hill (1999) and Demon Knight (1995) and fuse those with the stylings of Ready or Not, then you'll have a good idea of what to expect with Abigail. However, there's a lot more in store, much of which ventures into spoiler territory. Don't worry; we won't go there.
This is a hell of a lot of fun and very digestible. Die-hard horror freaks ought to latch on to all of the goopy, gory goodness and its unique approach to vampire mythology, while regular moviegoers should get a kick out of the silliness and lunacy of it all. At its core, Abigail is a comedy, and a lot of effort has been put into crafting an experience that's loaded with frights while delivering a bucketload of laughs.
The ensemble cast carries it across the line as their characters clash when trying to outsmart a she-vamp. They're all really good, too, with Kevin Durand (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes) turning over a particularly hilarious performance as a knucklehead type. He has one of Hollywood's most recognisable “Oh that guy” faces, and his role in Abigail is played as though it were an evolution of his career-launching character 'Tree' Lane from Mystery, Alaska (1999). Incidentally, they are only two characters he's ever portrayed with his native French-Canadian accent.
The remaining kidnappers are played by Dan Stevens (Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire), Melissa Barrera (Scream V and VI), Kathryn Newton (Lisa Frankenstein), William Catlett (Black Lightning), and Angus Cloud (Euphoria), who tragically passed away before the film's release.
Adding to the heartbreak of his passing is the fact that Cloud is particularly good here, giving perhaps the best performance of his career. Dan Stevens is also great as the alpha male of the pack, whose character's demeanour ebbs and flows to give him a volatile unpredictability.
Giancarlo Esposito (TV's Breaking Bad) also plays their boss. He gives the type of cold and steely performance that we've come to expect from him while also being given room to play. It's fantastic to see him take on some new, unexplored traits, and his joy from being let off the proverbial leash is crystal clear.
And, of course, there's young Alisha Weir as Abigail, the actress who also appears in the recent Wicked Little Letters and was the lead in Matilda the Musical (2022). Boy, does she put on a show, and there's no doubt that her performance elevates the movie above the run-of-the-mill vampire flick. Watching her switch between innocent and evil is a treat, and she relishes every opportunity to run amok and tear people to shreds.
If you like what Radio Silence contributes to cinema, you'll get a kick out of Abigail. If you love vampire movies in general, you will also get a kick out of it. And if you enjoyed recent movies like Renfield or Slayers, there's plenty for you to sink your teeth into here.
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