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Review by E.C.McMullen Jr. |
ABIGAIL- 2024USA Release: April 19, 2024 Radio Silence Productions, Project X Entertainment, Wild Atlantic Pictures, The Government of Ireland, Universal Pictures Rating: USA: R |
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A little petite child ballerina who we will come to know as Abigail (Alisha Weir: DON'T LEAVE HOME) is dancing all alone onstage. It's at night and she's practicing.
Outside her home a van of ne'er-do-wells waits. Some of them break in and wait. Others stay with the van. One, the sniper, goes on the roof to monitor.
The little girl walked outside to a car alone. She's delivered to her home alone, delivered to the door and walks in alone like the wealthy but latch key child she is.
The ne'er-do-wells quickly become kidnappers and the child's is grabbed, injected, and taken to another massive house where, blindfolded, she is put into a room.
Her kidnappers don't use their real names but we will know them as,
Recovering addict, Joey (Melissa Barrera: TWO TIMES YOU, SCREAM [2022], BED REST, SCREAM IV, YOUR MONSTER), is calm and rational in high pressure situations.
Ex-NYPD Detective, Frank (Dan Stevens: FRANKENSTEIN [2004], DRACULA [2006], VAMPS, COLOSSAL, KILL SWITCH, APOSTLE, LEGION [TV], THE RENTAL, BLITHE SPIRIT, I'M YOUR MAN, THE SEA BEAST, CUCKOO, GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE), is weak and ineffective with zero leadership skills. Constantly frustrated, wannabe tough guy Frank thinks he should give the orders and be the boss of everyone, but unless he's the only one with a loaded gun, he has no idea how.
Rickles (William Catlett: BLACK LIGHTNING, THE DEVIL YOU KNOW, CONSTELLATION), is effective but prefers to work alone and not with a team of idiots.
Party girl Sammy (Kathryn Newton: PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4, SUPERNATURAL [TV], THE SOCIETY [TV], FREAKY, LISA FRANKENSTEIN), who is an Internet wiz, wants to have a good time.
Peter (Kevin Durand: STARGATE SG-1, DARK ANGEL [TV], THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT, LOST [TV], SCOOBY-DOO 2, THE ECHO, X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE, LEGION, I AM NUMBER 4, COSMOPOLIS, RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION, THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES, WINTER'S TALE, DARK WAS THE NIGHT, TRAGEDY GIRLS, THE STRAIN [TV], SWAMP THING [TV - 2019], LOCKE & KEY [TV], PANTHEON [TV]) is tall and imposing. He's the hired muscle with little brain who is sweet natured and friendly about his job even if he is ordered to murder you.
Dean (Angus Cloud: YOUR LUCKY DAY), is the Driver who cares about no one including himself, he'll commit any crime that will feed his habit of video games and drugs.1
Gathered at the house, they don't have to wait long before the crime boss who put them up to the kidnapping appears. Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito: MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE, THE USUAL SUSPECTS, THE TOMORROW MAN, THE MAZE, CHUPACABRA TERROR, SON OF BATMAN, REVOLUTION [TV], BATMAN: ASSAULT ON ARKHAM, ALLEGIANCE [TV], THE MAZE RUNNER: SCORCH TRIALS), lays out the plan. The house is big enough for them to all have a room. Keep your mask on whenever you are around the child. Keep the child blindfolded as an extra precaution. Get through 24 hours of this and you'll all be multi-millionaires.
TRIVIA 1. Unfortunately, Angus Cloud's role imitated his life too closely. He died from a drug overdose before ABIGAIL hit theaters. |
From that moment on, its all in the big house.
As you no doubt surmised from the trailer and movie poster, Abigail is a vampire, this isn't a kidnapping but a buffet, and she intends to eat them all.
Working off a story and screenplay by Guy Busick (URGE, CASTLE ROCK [TV], SCREAM [2022], SCREAM IV) and Stephen Shields (ZOMBIE BASHERS [TV], THE HOLE IN THE GROUND, HUNTED), The Directing team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillette (V/H/S/, DEVIL'S DUE, SOUTHBOUND, READY OR NOT, SCREAM [2022], SCREAM IV), are seriously creating what could be a new golden age of Horror (one can only hope).
Wait! Just what do I mean by that? Does ABIGAIL have the goods to be a classic?
I wouldn't go that far, but I will say this -
ABIGAIL is a fun Horror movie: compact, lean, mean, and hard with enough unexpected twists, turns, action, and humor to keep the undead rawtha lively.
Four Shriek Girls!
This review
copyright 2025 E.C.McMullen Jr.
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| GET SOME CLOTHES ON | |
| YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY (Sub-Section: BAD ASS VAMPIRES) |
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FROM DUSK TILL DAWN MOVIE REVIEW |
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