Isn't it strange how trailers that hold some things about the movie back can actually drum up curiosity and excitement, whereas those that feel the need to reveal every single thing do not spark much discussion among the general public? Related or not, you'll be the judge, today we're talking about Abigail, a new supernatural horror with a little bit of comedic bite. We witness as a group of random criminals—Joey (Melissa Barrera), Frank (Dan Stevens), Sammy (Kathryn Newton), Peter (Kevin Durand), Rickles (Will Catlett) and Dean (Angus Cloud)—execute a mission they're hired for, which requires them to kidnap Abigail (Alisha Weir), a young tween girl from a rich family. The group is planning to demand a $50 million ransom while lying low at a nearby manor, before they learn that her dad is a feared crime boss, and before Abigail also reveals herself to be an ancient, bloodthirsty vampire.
Considering the vampiric madness is meant to turn the tables midway through, it's a bit disappointing that it doesn't quite hit as hard as you'd want since you're essentially waiting for it. Furthermore amplifying that is the fact that tonally the movie just simply works before that specific turn as well as after; it's fun and bloody pop entertainment and everyone involved knows it as the chaotic horror elements mesh really well with its wacky sense of humour, provided by writers Guy Busick and Stephen Shields, and nods to well-known classics in the genre.
Whenever your premise sets a creature up against a group of possible victims, it's a pleasure when the entire cast does a great job even if not everyone gets a three-dimensional character to play. Barrera and Stevens find a lot of juicy friction between their characters, the former portraying a your standard final girl with a strong handle on her emotional arc and survival skills whilst the latter continues to disrupt that with Frank's lively blend of cockiness and inconsiderate posturing. Weir also manages to match the energy of her two fellow leads in her rather physical and quirky act that turns the prey into a predator.
One thing that seems to be a recurring flaw in director duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett's work is their limitations when it comes to compositions and scope, which is slightly bizarre because they continue to do extremely well with actors, gore and dark humour that partly fill the spaces. This film is yet another example of the production design (by Susie Cullen) and set details either being perfunctory, serving eye-roll worthy instances of deus ex machina, or just feeling overly soundstage-y. Maybe it's the place where the duo feels comfortable cutting costs but they also don't rectify those cuts with inventive uses of locations or architecture in their frames—it just therefore comes off as lazy direction. Great makeup effects* and a solid stunt ensemble* do their best to make up for some of those shortcomings but they shouldn't have to carry the weight of deficient ambition at this level.
Still, it's easy to have a good time with the film despite the lack of surprises and ambition. You have a wonderful group of actors, a strong premise, some wicked gags and so much blood that you need a relaxing bath afterwards. And that's what you want from an enjoyable horror every now and then.
Smileys: Tone, performance by a cast
Frowneys: Production design
You need to drive a $7 million stake through the heart.
3.5/5
[*Editor's note: Apologies for the image quality and possible inaccurate or insufficient credits. Universal Pictures didn't provide high-quality stills or proper information about the film before the publication of this review.]
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