“Abigail” Movie Review

Children can be such monsters

WARNING: Spoilers ahead!

Radio Silence Productions is an American film and TV production company, founded in 2011 by its key members Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, Justin Martinez and Chad Villella. They’re known for working on horror/comedy films such as Ready or Not, Scream V and Scream VI. Following their great successes 2024 brings another stellar horror entry in “Abigail”. It’s one of the most anticipated horror movies of the year and it didn’t disappoint, putting a nice twist on the universal monsterverse vampire tale.

Abigail is a brand-new horror addition directed by the collective duo; Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. The plot kicks off following a group of criminals who are hired to kidnap and babysit the young daughter of a dangerous crime lord only to discover she is in fact a vicious bloodthirsty vampire with an appetite for revenge. Fooled out of the millions they were promised and trapped inside impenetrable walls the group must find a way to trust each other if they want to make it out alive. 

It is well paced, with great practical effects that impressively masks the CGI enough to make each vampiric face look almost real. You’re transfixed in full throttle mayhem, non-stop action and perfectly timed whimsy. There’s a colossal amount of blood, guts and screams to satisfy any horror lover. The movie forgets cheap jump scares and uses utter chaos, you can tell everybody had a lot of fun whilst creating this.

What’s accomplished with Abigail is sensational. Enlisting some of the greatest modern horror actors of the 21st century, who have been described as the “Horror Breakfast Club” and balancing them together so well the audience gets a nice variety of performances. Let’s get into them:

Alisha Weir

Alisha Weir (Abigail) displays impressive hand to hand combat, as well as dancing skills. Smartly manipulating everyone around her whilst appearing as a vulnerable child. Her reactions and response times are precise, sharp and articulated well. Transforming from a musical prodigy with telekinesis into a throat ripping killer shows special talent. 14 years old and knows exactly what she wants to do, you can’t help but be in awe of her.

Melissa Barrera

Melissa Barerra (Joey) rocks as the final girl. Covered in blood, taking no one’s shit and delivers strong chemistry with every one of her cast members. Showing outstanding capability during action sequences and conveying emotions, Melissa once again gives a triumphant performance.

Dan Stevens

Dan Stevens (Frank) is the token jerk that you can’t help but love. His lines are perfect, on the nose and sometimes can have you laughing out loud. Previous roles such as The Guest, Apostle and The Rental are evidence he is a scream king in the making.

Kathryn Newton

Kathryn Newton (Sammy) is another stand out character. A great physical performer, joy bringer and provides yet another fantastic horror act. She’s remarkable at bringing to life quirky, unique, misfit characters and has a pleasant comedic approach to go along with it. She appears as an intelligent tech wiz to her group but in reality, is hilariously clumsy and dumb. You have a blast with her!

Kevin Durand

Kevin Durand (Peter) is effortlessly comical. Takes shape as the muscles of the group but as you unravel him, he is just a giant teddy bear. What could’ve been a character who solely says dumb things and appears lacklustre was anything but. Emotional, real and with a big heart, Durand stood out as a favourite amongst his fellow stars. 

Angus Cloud

Angus Cloud had the film dedicated to him which was such a beautiful sentiment from the entire crew. Although his character was ridiculously annoying that isn’t a fault on him as clearly that was what was intended.  A moronic stoner who was looking for a quick lay, free beer and easy money. He did have some funny moments too. 

Giancarlo Esposito

William Catlett and Giancarlo Esposito both didn’t have that big of a role but as fillers they were used meaningfully. (Catlett) could’ve been fleshed out a bit more, there wasn’t anything that made him particularly memorable unfortunately, but he was decent in his role. (Esposito) is excellent in his small part, he really makes the bad guys look elegant and alluring. 

William Catlett

Abigail is a great example of why we go to the movies. We want to be exported to a different universe, forget life for a time and Radio Silence get it right with their new project. Giving audiences captivating, exciting heroes and even villains to root for, to using excessive buckets of blood for unforgettable kill scenes and rejuvenating the vampire genre with one of the better crowd-pleasing entries of recent years. Thrilling us with unexpected talent, gore, jumpy moments and shocking twists, Abigail ticks all the boxes in becoming your new-found comfort watch.

Our knowledge of previous vampire films hinders our surprise factor during Abigail but that doesn’t stop it from reinventing its own efforts to stand out. Whilst the influence of Daybreakers and Dusk Til Dawn fill the atmosphere Abigail successfully abandons the usual tropes and creates its own statement, sealing itself as the most effective monster movie since 2020s “Invisible Man”.