I watched Abigail and I liked it. 3/5
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Review: Abigail (2024) – 3/5
Abigail is a bloody, gothic horror flick that does its best to bring some new bite to familiar vampire tropes. Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the movie follows the titular Abigail, a centuries-old vampire with the appearance of a twelve-year-old girl, as she manipulates her captors into a deadly game of survival. It’s ambitious, stylish, and packed with a talented ensemble cast, but it also stumbles under the weight of its chaotic plot and heavy-handed twists. For horror fans, Abigail delivers enough chills and thrills to make it worth a watch, even if it ultimately doesn’t rise above its genre trappings.
The story centers around young Abigail (Alisha Weir), who is abducted by a gang of criminals hoping to collect a $50 million ransom from her father, Kristof Lazaar, a powerful and infamous crime lord. The kidnappers—including Joey (Melissa Barrera), a former Army medic with a shady past, Frank (Dan Stevens), a corrupt ex-cop, and a motley crew of other criminals—quickly find themselves in over their heads when they learn that Abigail is not only Lazaar’s daughter but also a vampire with lethal intentions of her own. As the night descends, Abigail reveals her true nature, and the mansion turns into a killing ground as she picks them off one by one.
Where Abigail succeeds is in its bold, gothic atmosphere and stylish cinematography. The setting—Wilhelm Manor, an isolated and ominous mansion—provides the perfect backdrop for the violent, twisted events that unfold. The directors clearly have fun building a moody, suspenseful environment, and the production design does a lot of the heavy lifting in keeping the audience invested. The manor feels claustrophobic, with dim lighting and shadowy corners that heighten the tension, and the costume and makeup design bring a sense of macabre elegance to the film.
The performances are a highlight, especially Alisha Weir as Abigail. She manages to pull off a chilling combination of innocence and menace, switching between the facade of a helpless child and the lethal confidence of a centuries-old predator. It’s a challenging role, and Weir’s portrayal makes Abigail both terrifying and oddly sympathetic, especially when we see her twisted attempts to gain her father’s approval. Melissa Barrera is also memorable as Joey, the group’s moral compass, whose growing regret and ultimate transformation into a vampire slayer adds a dose of humanity to the film. Dan Stevens, meanwhile, brings his trademark dark charisma to the role of Frank, a ruthless ex-detective whose descent into vampire madness is as unsettling as it is entertaining.
However, Abigail falters with its over-complicated plot and the sheer number of twists that start to feel excessive. The movie kicks off with a strong, suspenseful setup, but the pacing soon becomes erratic as it lurches from one gory kill to the next, with little room to breathe in between. By the time Abigail’s true identity as her father’s enforcer is revealed, the film is already knee-deep in convoluted backstories and shifting alliances, and it’s easy to lose track of who’s betraying whom and why. The script tries to balance horror and thriller elements, but it often feels like it’s trying to do too much, resulting in a cluttered narrative that occasionally loses its tension.
Another downside is that, for all the bloody spectacle, the scares themselves start to feel repetitive. While there are some clever and inventive death scenes—each of which leans heavily into practical effects and gore—the film’s reliance on shock and violence over suspense makes the horror elements feel less impactful as the story goes on. We see character after character meet their demise in gruesome fashion, but after a while, the kills start to blend together, losing the intensity they might have had with better pacing and variety.
Thematically, Abigail has interesting ideas about family, loyalty, and the idea of monstrous legacy, especially as we learn about Abigail’s complicated relationship with her father. Her desire to earn Lazaar’s approval by killing his enemies is both tragic and horrifying, but the film doesn’t dig deeply enough into this relationship. By the time Lazaar makes an appearance at the end, their confrontation feels rushed, missing the emotional depth it could have achieved with more development.
Despite these issues, Abigail is an enjoyable, if flawed, entry in the vampire horror genre. Fans of blood-soaked horror films with a dark sense of humor will find plenty to like, especially in the way it gleefully plays with vampire lore, throwing out garlic, crucifixes, and sunlight as weapons only to reveal Abigail’s invulnerability to them all. The film’s self-aware tone, coupled with its stylish presentation, makes it easy to forgive some of its narrative missteps and lean into the chaos.
In the end, Abigail doesn’t reinvent the genre, but it does bring a fresh, if slightly excessive, flair to a classic vampire tale. With its game cast, slick production, and no-holds-barred approach to gore, it’s a fun ride for horror fans who can appreciate its blend of high-stakes action and gothic horror. It may not be a future classic, but Abigail has enough personality to make its mark.