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Abigail has just one trick up its sleeve. But this one, this one is one hell of a trick that will thoroughly entertain from start to finish. From the ever-exciting director duo named Radio Silence, best known for Ready or Not, Scream (2022) and Scream 6. If they are attached to a project, it’s at this point a near guarantee of quality. With Abigail, they hit it out of the park once again.
The premise here is a simple one, a group of thugs kidnap a young girl from her supposedly very wealthy father and keep her until they get paid 50 million dollars. The thugs are an eclectic group, with Joey (played by Melissa Barrera who was fired from the upcoming Scream 7) and Frank (played by Dan Stevens who is best known from the series Legion but is also making a serious name for himself in horror). All seems to be well, the task should be simple. Just babysit young Abigal (played by Alisha Weir from Matilda: The Musical) and money should roll in. Unfortunately for them, she’s a vampire.
The film is morally awkward as well. Which I love. Do you root for the horrible thugs? The tiny vampire? The answer is the vampire. Seriously, that should have been your answer if it wasn’t. Disappointed.
Films like this live or die (does that still apply in a vampire movie? I should change it…) on the strength of its monster. Yes, the rest of the cast, or victims if you will, are important but monsters must work. Here young Alisha Weir delivers this and is the star of the movie, pulling the spotlight away from accomplished, long-time actors. She is delightfully, playfully evil throughout and the screen lights up whenever she’s seen. I think they do a very good job of not overusing her character though, it leaves you wanting more without overdoing it.
Barrera is pretty good here, as our sympathetic character is driven into this line of work by dire circumstances. She shows a lot more character than her wooden portrayals in the Scream films.
Radio Silence knows how to build a fun movie, with enough violence but enough over-the-top moments as well. It takes itself just seriously enough, just comedically enough without going too far in either direction. And oh do they know how to bring the blood and leave as much of the CGI crap at home. I’ve yet, to ever see CGI blood in a horror film that isn’t instantaneously obvious that it’s not really there.
Universal has a real hit on its hands and should get a sequel going as unlike vampires, little Abigail is going to age.