Abigal takes a copy-and-paste story that we’ve seen before but injects humour, gore and a solid cast line-up for what ends up becoming a bloody good time!
A group of would-be criminals kidnaps the 12-year-old daughter of a powerful underworld figure. Holding her for ransom in an isolated mansion, their plan starts to unravel when they discover their young captive is actually a bloodthirsty vampire.
The story is simple, criminals kidnap a 12-year-old daughter of a wealthy underworld figure holding her for ransom. The only catch is, the girl they’ve kidnapped is a bloodthirsty vampire (thanks to the trailer for spoiling that little twist).
Whilst the trailer did spoil that piece of information the film still delivers in every department.
Trailers spoiling films is something we’re very much used to nowadays but thankfully the movie stood its ground and delivered gore and comedy in a lovely endearing balance.
Scream VI directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett allow Melissa Barrera to shine (without being sacked) and the supporting cast is so solid that they rather overshadow who the film tries to focus on as the ‘main’ character.
Kevin Durand for me is the heart of this movie with Dan Stevens character a solid second (aside from Abigail of course) they both have a great rapport and deliver some great one-liners that just keep the mood light within what is otherwise a very sticky situation for this band of misfits.
Kathryn Newton further adds to the solid line-up and without fail always manages to deliver her A-game without really trying, her character twist is great and whilst we see it coming a mile away after a certain event it’s just how it all unfolds that is the biggest pay off in that little side story.
With twists and turns aplenty the film does skip over a very random and brief love story angle (or fling angle at the very least) but that’s quickly cut down to size. Other than that small distraction the script is solid and the direction is fun and quirky.
Solid cast chemistry and humour make Abigal one of the most fun horror movies I’ve seen in a while.
This is the type of film to watch in the cinema or a very dark room indeed as the comedy lures you in, one minute you’re laughing and the next minute you’re gasping at what you’ve just witnessed (thanks to some incredible special effects).
Abigail is well worth a watch, one of 2024’s best horror movies to date!
