Spoilers for Abigail follow, although they’re also in the ads for the film.
I really wish that the marketing for Abigail hadn’t spoiled the film’s best surprise. The latest from Scream VI writer-directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, part of the collective known as Radio Silence, begins as a tense, one-location crime story and then turns into something more gruesome, energetic and fun. I understand why the trailers had to include the big reveal – it’s quite a hook – and it didn’t inhibit my enjoyment. But if you’re able to go in cold, I highly recommend it.
But for those who are already aware of what might be in store – or those who don’t care – I’m going to proceed with plot spoilers, albeit nothing that wasn’t already revealed in the movie’s trailers. Just be forewarned.
Abigail opens with a group of criminals who’ve been assembled to kidnap a young girl after her ballet classes. They take her to a secluded, creepy mansion, where their boss, Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito) tells them that their job is just some highly illegal babysitting. They need to keep eyes on the girl for 24 hours, at which time the plan is that her wealthy father will have paid a $50 million ransom they can all split. All the crew has to do is sit back and take advantage of the estate’s open bar.
None of the crew members know each other; they’re all given Rat Pack-adjacent names. The protagonist is Joey (Melissa Barrera), who has the job of taking care of the young, kidnapped Abigail (Alisha Weir). Joey’s a criminal and a recovering junkie, but shows kindness to the young girl and is easily the best of a lot that includes a former Queens detective codenamed Frank (Dan Stevens), a rich-kid hacker (Kathryn Newton), a former Marine Corps sniper (William Catlett), some Canadian muscle (Kevin Durand) and an overeager young wheelman (Angus Cloud).
It’s a great setup, and I can see how even without the turns that follow, Abigail could be a taut, paranoia-laced thriller. Much of the film’s first 45 minutes involve the crew wondering whether they can trust each other and pondering just who their wealthy victim might be. The script quickly establishes the backgrounds and dynamics among the captors – Frank is the smart but sadistic leader, the hacker and wheelman are immature punks, the hired goon is a bit of a lunkhead – and creates unease about how much these strangers can depend on each other should the situation fall apart. When the kidnappers start turning up dead, they suspect that one of them might be working for their victim’s family, exacting revenge.
The truth is a lot weirder.
(Again, spoilers. Quit reading if you don’t know the surprise).
Shortly after, as the crew is learning that their lives are at risk, Abigail reveals its big hook: the person hunting and killing them is none other than Abigail herself, who’s a vampire with a mouth full of sharp teeth, a thirst for blood and a smartass attitude. The kidnappers now find themselves sealed inside the mansion with a monster, trying to stay alive until daybreak.
It’s a crazy premise, and one that only works if the tone is just right. Fortunately, Radio Silence has proven itself adept at balancing horror and laughs in films like Ready or Not and their two Scream entries. When Abigail attacks, it’s ferocious, gorey and messy, and the film gets as much mileage as it can from its chases down dark hallways, as well as a variety of stairwells and large foyers into which Abigail can leap and fly. It’s bloody and gross, but the directors understand that a good horror movie kill is staged like a good joke; they know when to ratchet up the suspense and when to release the tension with a laugh.
The ensemble is solid and has to navigate a difficult tightrope. Their characters have to be just human enough for us to invest in, but shady enough that we don’t mind watching them become vampire chow. Barrera is strong as the film’s protagonist; she’s empathetic and kind to Abigail, but there’s always an edge just below the surface, which also served her well in the Scream movies. Stevens is having the time of his life, adopting a ridiculous Queens accent and sneering at the group of criminals he considers beneath him. The rest of the ensemble is also solid; the highlight might be Durand, who gets some big laughs as the kind-hearted but none-too-bright hired thug, who learns the hard way that crucifixes don’t work against this vampire. I also appreciated Newton’s ditzy energy, and she gets her own surprises late in the film.
But the biggest draw might be Weir as Abigail, who creates an entertaining, ferocious and often very funny movie monster. Some of the film’s best sequences have her taunting her captors from inside a cage, poking at their insecurities and fears, goading them into betraying each other, or controlling them like puppets. It’s a great, snarky performance, particularly when Abigail calmly informs her kidnappers, “I like to play with my food.”
Abigail is fast-paced, fun and constantly twisting, and it’s a clever take on a subgenre that had grown a bit too self-serious and familiar. Radio Silence is great at delivering on the gore, but they also understand the importance of delivering the right amount of humor and emotion. For 90 minutes, it’s a fresh and enjoyable ride, although it begins to wobble apart in the third act, when it can’t stop throwing in twists, double-crosses and fight scenes, and begins to grow a bit predictable and exhausting. By the time it reaches a final scene designed to tie up loose ends that don’t really need to be tied up, it’s starting to be a bit much.
But man, for those 90 minutes that it works, it’s a fun ride, and when it nails its tone, it’s totally my jam. I’m all for scary movies, but I prefer the ones that also get you laughing and work when seen with a large crowd. Abigail is a great “Friday night at the movies” pick, and if audiences catch on to it, I’m certain Weir will get to play the smartass little monster a few more times.