Abigail Movie Review

Abigail (2024) Movie Review

The trio known as Radio Silence, made-up of filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett and producer Chad Villella have made a name for themselves in Hollywood, as one of the most exciting trios working today. ‘Ready or Not’ took the world by storm in 2019, with the perfect blend of horror and comedy, matched with an incredible lead turn from fellow Aussie, and niece of Hugo Weaving, Samara Weaving. They have followed up this hit with the two most recent Scream films. Scream V & Scream VI. All three films were met with critical acclaim, with the latter, also making nearly half a billion dollars at the worldwide box office. Every time they are linked to a project, audiences all over the globe will be taking notice!

Their latest outing, ‘Abigail’, had a vague marketing campaign and not a lot of hype surrounding it before it hit theatres. This was disappointing as it resulted in the film only making $42.4 million at the worldwide box office. Thankfully, strong word of mouth and critical response, have resulted in the film finding an audience on home video and the film has the opportunity to become a new cult classic. Abigail stars Melissa Barrera, Kathryn Newton, Dan Stevens, Kevin Durand, the late Angus Cloud, William Catlett, Giancarlo Esposito, Matthew Goode and the talented Alisha Weir as Abigail herself. The film follows a group of criminals who go by assumed names who kidnap the ballerina daughter, Abigail, of a powerful underworld figure, they retreat to an isolated mansion, unaware that they're locked inside with no normal little girl. She is in fact a vampire… The group must join forces, put aside their differences and survive the night. The film is a victim of its amazing premise, as you can’t sell it without giving away the fact, she is a vampire. It was included in its marketing and ultimately was the selling point of the entire film. This is a detriment, as the twist itself is incredible and not knowing would have made the film stand among one of the best in recent years. I honestly love Abigail and had an absolute blast watching it!

The creative and innovative filmmaking on display from the Radio Silence team makes this film work more than it would with another team behind the camera here. As this was a director for hire gig and not a film they wrote, it could have gone either way, but they clearly understood the assignment and made the material their own. They create great atmosphere with a limited setting and allow the plot to escalate, creating amazing tension and some of the more memorable action sequences in recent years. If you have seen a Radio Silence production you know exactly what you’re in for, the film is going to be violent, and the blood and gore will be over-the-top and oh so extreme. Abigail doesn’t disappoint in this department, with gallons of fake blood used, filling up nearly every inch of the screen in the films violent final act.

The other strengths lie in the talented cast. Melissa Barrera takes on the lead here as Joey, re-teaming with the Radio Silence team after the two most recent Scream films. She brings her charisma and signature scream queen vibe to the role, showing her talents as a leading lady. Kathryn Newton is also a blast of energy, adding to her horror resume of ‘Paranormal Activity 4’ ‘Freaky’, and ‘Lisa Frankenstein’ with her role as Sammy here. Dan Stevens keeps impressing, with another great character actor performance as Frank. His 2024 speaks for itself with roles in ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’ and ‘Cuckoo’. Angus Cloud also has a role as one of the members of the troop here, in his last role before his untimely death. He commands the screen here, showing his range and his screen presence. A talent that will be sorely missed, may he rest in peace. Kevin Durand and William Catllett round out our cast of misfits and do a fine job here as well. The real highlight of the film though is young Alisha Weird as Abigail. Following up her impressive turn as Matilda in the movie musical in 2022, Weird again shows she can act well beyond her years, giving a marvelous turn as Abigail. She’s vulnerable when she needs to be but menacing and terrifying as well. She completely steals every scene she’s in!

‘Abigail’ was an absolute blast from start to finish. It’s held together by its amazing cast and frenetic direction but all of these element’s blend marvelously to create a memorable vampire film and one of the best I have seen in recent years. The action is fun, the horror sequences are tense and memorable, the atmosphere is palpable, and it all culminates in a satisfying vampire horror/comedy flick. This is a must watch for genre fans so don’t miss out. Be sure to secure your copy on DVD or Blu-Ray today from the amazing team over at Sanity, you won’t want to miss it!

For everything else pop culture, make Sanity your one stop shop, show their tens of thousands of titles on DVD, Blu-Ray and 4K Ultra HD, not to mention their wide range of music, board games, video games, statues, and collectibles and so much more! 

2024 promises to be stacked full of great releases, so make sure you sign up to Sanity’s newsletter, so, you don’t miss another major release and for all things movies, music, merchandise, shop Sanity! 

Long live physical media! 

Buy Buy Abigail here!

Christopher Pattison wrote this blog post for Sanity. See more from Chris here