From Literal Explosions Of Blood To Ballet Pirouettes, Abigail Is A New Horror Icon
This is what I wanted from M3GAN.
What seems like a classic heist movie is flipped on its head when it turns out the 12-year-old ballerina that this team of crooks has kidnapped is actually a bloodthirsty vampire in Abigail. The directing team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, known as Radio Silence, have brought us a bloody good time with their films Ready or Not, Scream, and Scream VI — and now they’ve done it again!
There’s a charm in this motley crew of seasoned criminals who are initially strangers brought together by their dark pasts. Melissa Barrera leads as Joey, a former army medic turned addict with a penchant for reading people. There’s Frank (Dan Stevens), a detective gone corrupt; Sammy (Kathryn Newton), a rich girl hacker after not-so-cheap thrills; military veteran Rickles (Will Catlett); himbo muscle man Peter (Kevin Durand); and getaway driver Dean (Angus Cloud). Each of them get their own moments to shine. Barrera continues her strong legacy as a horror leading lady, while Stevens is frustrating in all the right ways as de facto leader Frank. The sweet friendship between Peter and Sammy is a stand out and the film is dedicated to the late Cloud in his final film role. The weakest link in the film is the hint of romance between Joey and Rickles that is both short lived and lacking chemistry.
Joey takes point on caring for a seemingly terrified Abigail (Alisha Weir), while the rest of the crew lounge in a mansion fit for a vampire — talk about foreshadowing! — waiting to make bank. This dynamic is crucial, playing into a redemptive story for the duo that is sealed with a pinky promise. A mother who hasn’t been able to be there for her own child gets to step up as a parent, while a daughter finally gets to experience the safe keeping she’s always craved.
While I wish they had held the reveal of Abigail being a vampire in the trailers, they manage to keep upping the ante as the film progresses. Not only is the film silly and over-the-top and full of blood, but it keeps you on the edge of your seat. This is a feat in itself as movies like Damsel have suffered recently due to revealing too much in their synopsis alone and not having more to back up the story. It also helps that Weir delivers a horror performance of a lifetime as Abigail. She puts on an impressive show, pretending to be an innocent victim, before prancing and twirling around the mansion as she feeds on her unsuspecting prey. She is a revelation as she maneuvers the dual sides of her character as a wide-eyed little girl and a manipulative creature of the night, as well the gray area of actually being both: a little vampire just seeking her father’s attention. Weir skillfully does many of her own stunts, balancing on staircase banisters and learning to dance en pointe. There is a shocking amount of blood and carnage that takes the film to the next level. Through it all you can’t help but to root for this ballerina vampire.
With literal explosions of blood in between ballet pirouettes, Abigail is the best horror movie of 2024 and establishes Alisha Weir as a young horror icon. The way Radio Silence balances campy humor and gore is top tier in a way M3GAN only wishes it could be.
Abigail is playing in theaters now.
