'Abigail' Review: What We Hunt in the Shadows
Following their time building upon the house that Wes Craven built, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (aka Radio Silence) deleted the Ghostface mask, returning to their roots: setting an elaborate horror in a big ass mansion where murderous chaos ensues. Instead of a sole girlie getting hunted by a squad, Radio Silence pulls a role reversal with a whole team being hunted by one girlie. Oh, that girlie happens to be a ballerina vampire child. Let the games begin.
R: strong bloody violence and gore throughout, pervasive language and brief drug use.
Runtime: 1 Hr and 49 Minutes
Production Companies: Project X Entertainment, Vinson Films, Radio Silence Productions, Wild Atlantic Pictures
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Writer: Stephen Shields, Guy Busick
Cast: Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, Will Catlett, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud, Alisha Weir, Giancarlo Esposito
Release Date: April 19, 2024
In Theaters Only
Six criminals – Joey (Melissa Barrera), Frank (Dan Stevens), Sammy (Kathryn Newton), Rickles (William Catlett), Peter (Kevin Durand), and Dean (Angus Cloud) – kidnap the ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld mob boss and take her upstate to an isolated mansion. Their employer, Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito) informs them they have to watch her for 24 hours until the kid's dad gives up $50 million as ransom. Little do the criminals know that the girl they captured is a bloodsucking vampire. Now, the crew must survive the night or they’ll be dead by daylight. They must also uncover why they were all specifically chosen for this job.
Radio Silence has been ingrained within the horror-comedy scene ever since Ready or Not, so it's not surprising to see the filmmakers land a horror-comedic tone with a skilled ensemble of character actors who brilliantly play the genre mashup and its archetypes. You have the hacker, the getaway driver, the leader, the medic, the sharpshooter, and the muscle, all paired with a familiar characteristic that adds tension to their interactions.
The late Angus Cloud is fantastic as the annoying asshole, wannabe fuckboi type. Melissa Barrera – the filmmakers' new muse and scream queen icon – delivers an excellent, badass performance. Joey plays as the emotional centerpiece with a heart of gold but doesn't second guess getting violent when situations accelerate. Kathryn Newton, another scream queen with killer comedic timing, is simply delightful as the silly tech hacker. Kevin Durand, who I feel should kill Elon Musk and take his place, goes pure himbo and is the most babygirl character. Once again, Dan Stevens slayed every minute he was onscreen. His American accent and his line deliveries are so campy and aware of the tone this kind of flick has that even when he's the most straight-laced and most pathetic character of them all, Stevens is so damn funny.
Since all these characters are randomly picked out, and don’t know each other's names and identities, the environment has an intriguing Among Us atmosphere. However, instead of figuring out who the imposter is – although it would've been nice to have that mystery not foolishly revealed in the trailer – there's still a mystery around why the titular lead brought them together.
As Abigail, Alisha Weir ate down… her victims. Best known from that recent Matilda musical movie adaptation, Weir trades her telepathic abilities for fangs. She holds the torch as an antagonistic force, agent of chaos, emotional manipulator, and badass. She’s never over the top, for she carries the same menacing demeanor as every villainous vampire before her in film, equipped with a Kevin McCallister-type smugness.
The cast's performances elevate the overfamiliarity of Stephen Shields and Guy Busick's screenplay. Once shit hits the fan with the signature reveal, Abigail becomes an entertaining, albeit predictable, horror-comedy.
Structurally, Abigail is a Ready or Not retread, for it takes all the hallmarks and beats from that film but with a vampiric twist. I'm not entirely against the recycled screenplay with the extra steps aspect. Still, the simplicity that works with the premise is lost once it delves into the mystery behind the criminals in their relation to Abigail. Once its underwhelming revelation comes to light, with the same thematic confusion as the motivation of an Emerald Fennell protagonist, Abigail pivots into a downward spiral of convolution and messiness that comes across as if they were making it up as it went.
All I jotted down towards the climax was, "Messy, messy, Lionel Messi," as the script threw every twist and turn at the dartboard, padding out the runtime and making its final moments feel like a chore rather than a triumphant conclusion that showed its fangs.
Elevated by Radio Silence's hallmark directorial traits and fun performances from its ensemble, Abigail is solid horror fare with enough blood-soaking goodness to entertain.
Rating: 3/5 | 64%
