Spoilers are not really into ballet.
It’s a risky decision to let the cat out of the bag early, but that’s what this feature decide to do as their biggest twist is also the movie’s main hook. That being said, that doesn’t completely spoil the film either as an over-the-top horror film with a dark comedic undertone. There’s no subtleties in the plot at all, so expect everything out in the open the moment the lights are on. That being said, with the right crowd and some popcorn this a good movie for a loud crowd.
Abigail (2024) is directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillet. The screenplay is written by Stephen Shields and Guy Busick. A shady group of criminals from different backgrounds are assembled together to carry out a kidnapping and extortion gig. This is how the usual suspects known as Joey (Melissa Barrera), Frank (Dan Stevens), Rickles (William Catlett), Sammy (Kathryn Newton), Peter (Kevin Durand) and Dean (Angus Cloud) manage to grab a child ballerina named Abigail (Alisha Weir) to collect the ransom from her mysterious but apparently wealthy father. They immediately retreat to the lair of their employer, the also mysterious Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito), which happens to be an opulent but sinister mansion. This is actually where the movie starts.
Since nobody knows each other’s name (how the hell did they communicate before?) Lambert gives each a name. A guessing game takes care of everyone’s backgrounds. It’s a bit rushed but it gives us a sense that the movie doesn’t really want to spend time on introductions and just wants to get to the action. Joey is our POV character and (as we know from a brief glimpse of her phone) she’s mother to a child that she has not spoken in a while. That also makes her more emphatic and she forms a rapport with the abducted Abigail. Soon enough the team learns the father’s name, which happens to be the biggest crime boss of the region.
What the trailers give away and hence I will let you know here, is that Abigail is actually a bloodthirsty vampire and a killing machine. As the body count begins, the unlikely team can only accept their fate and realize they have to somehow partner up and take their fearsome foe out. Now it is at this point that might feel compelled to piece together who and where… But this is not that kind of movie. We’re just going completely over the top with blood, gore, stabbing and biting.
Highly recommended for solid horror entertainment with some funny sarcasm sprinkled atop for flavor. It’s not going to in any vampire movie top ten list, but it has enough entertainment value and incidental satire to make it a fun night. Worth a watch with popcorn and a horror-fun-loving audience.
That will do for now.
Never Think Impossible 