Directed by Matt Betinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillet, Abigail is undoubtedly one of the most talked about movies of this year. With vampires being a bit of an obsession of mine since childhood, I couldn’t wait to get my teeth stuck into the highly anticipated movie and pen my thoughts.
Abigail: A Simple but Effective Plot
When a motley crew of kidnappers are paid to abduct Abigail from her father’s mansion, they think they’re on to an easy pay packet. However, they soon learn that “Tiny Dancer” is the daughter of a prominent, almost mythical underworld figure named Kristoph Lazaar. Sent into a blind panic about this latest revelation, the group don’t realize that the girl’s father is the least of their problems and Abigail is, in fact, a bloodthirsty and deadly vampire.
The plot does involve a little more than that but to save the risk of spoilers, I won’t delve deeper into what happens but I can tell you that what follows is a blood-soaked, high-octane rollercoaster of horror that will leave you wanting more. Simplicity is often key to a good movie and Abigail serves as a shining testament to that fact.
Abigail: The Gift that Keeps on Giving
Abigail starts at full throttle and doesn’t seem to apply the brakes for the entirety of the movie. Along the way we’re treated to buckets of blood, suspense, a bevy of vampirisms and even some solid comedy moments (thanks mostly to Peter Durand’s role as “Peter”).
There’s so much that happens in those golden 104 minutes that time seems to fly by and leaves little-to-no room for even the briefest of lulls. Usually when movies run closer to the two-hour mark they are teeming with needless fluff and unnecessarily drawn-out dialogues – a mold that this movie breaks so remarkably.
The Cast of Abigail
In a huge contrast to her last role as the title character in Matilda, Alisha Weir again steps into a title character role as Abigail. Perfectly cast for the role, Weir displays a broad range of acting skills, ranging from sweet and innocent schoolgirl to fearsome, murderous and ferocious blood sucker and deserves plaudit. Alongside Weir, we have Breaking Bad‘s vastly talented Giancarlo Esposito as the middleman, Lambert; Scream and Scream VI‘s Melissa Barrera as “Joey” and the late Dean Cloud who, sadly, plays his final role as “Dean”.
Abigail was Originally Going to be Called “Dracula’s Daughter”
Taking inspiration from the 1936 movie, Dracula’s Daughter, Abigail was originally going to share a name with the cult-classic Hammer Horror. Given the movie’s premise, I won’t be dishing out any spoilers when I say there’s every chance that Lazaar is, in fact, the legendary Dracula. Despite Kristoph Lazaar never being named as the big man himself (not Santa), there are several hints throughout the movie that elude to a hidden identity.
With the movie being a reimaging of the post-war classic and coming very close to even sharing a name, there’s every chance that Abigail may be connected to the Universal Monsters franchise. Which, of course, would pave the way for the return of the toothy terror in a much-needed sequel.
Abigail Summary
With its foot-on-the-gas pace and vampiric tropes, Abigail is the ideal choice for fans of Universal Monsters. Bloody, pacey and outstanding cinema that leaves no room for negative comments, this is, in my opinion, the horror movie that currently takes the top spot so far for 2024.
Abigail is currently available to steam on VOD from all popular platforms. If you haven’t already had the pleasure, this isn’t a movie you want to miss.
