Carl Roberts 
“Abigail gives the Vampire horror movie genre an injection of fresh blood, in a film that has a lot more bite to it than we expected.”
The Vampire horror movie genre was in need of some fresh blood. After some lacklustre recent movies (Yes, I’m looking at you, Renfield), the premise was looking more tired than a bloodsucker who’s been out all night. It was a case of ‘Fangs for the memories‘ as the classic horror trope was in danger of dying of (blood) thirst. Forget sunlight, forget garlic, it was a lack of decent scripts or writing that would kill off Dracula and his cronies. Although not completely (un) dead, the genre was on life support.
Now, we have a new Vampire movie in the shape of Universal Pictures’ Abigail. Alisha Weir plays an abducted child who isn’t quite as innocent as she seems. Featuring a cast which includes Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, William Catlett, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud, and Giancarlo Esposito, the film is looking to reinvigorate the genre. Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (Radio Silence Productions) from a screenplay written by Stephen Shields and Guy Busick, the trailers showed what looked to be an interesting and fresh take on the bloodsuckers. But is it enough to give new life and blood to the tired formula, or is it yet another nail in the Vampire coffin?
PREMISE
The film focuses on a group of kidnappers who capture and must watch over Abigail, the daughter of a powerful underworld figure from whom they demand a $50 million ransom. However, they soon get more than what they bargain for when they realise that they are trapped inside with no ordinary little girl but a vampire child who hunts them down one by one.
THOUGHTS
Abigail doesn’t just reinvigorate the formula, giving it a new lease of life, it drags it kicking and screaming back into our consciousness. The trailers don’t do the film justice. If you’ve watched them and think you’ve seen it all, think again. The film is one of the most enjoyable horror movies we’ve seen in a long while. Gory, blood-soaked, scary, but with a superb sense of humour running throughout, this is perfect entertainment. If you are of a nervous disposition, or squeamish, look away now. This certainly isn’t for you. For the rest of us, prepare yourself. You’re in for one hell of a ride from the start.
The film takes its time to build up to what we are expecting. But far from this being a distraction, this is the perfect approach. Anyone thinking there’s blood-letting from the start is in for a disappointment. The movie sets its premise up, introducing us to all those concerned, and showing us their character traits first before the gore and mayhem begin. As can be expected, we take a liking to some characters, others we can see from the start are going to be despicable while others are simply dinner. The approach works throughout. Some of the protagonists are, although not innocent, less than comfortable with what they’ve done in abducting a small child. Not that this is enough to save them.
MELISSA BARRERA AND DAN STEVENS
Melissa Barrera leads the cast as Joey. And once again shows what a fine, brilliant actress she is. Here, she is the mysterious one, the one of the gang who can be considered the voice of reason. Her character is the only one who is supposed to converse or speak to Abigail. But instead of being all gruff, threatening and nasty, Joey is calm, and friendly, even establishing an almost instant rapport with the abducted girl. Of all the characters, she is the one we root for. Melissa Barrera shows that her firing from the Scream franchise won’t affect her or hold her back. She leads the cast extremely well, giving us hope that she may live to see the end credits. It is yet another successful acting performance from a talented actress.
Dan Stevens, on the other hand, is totally vile as Frank, the leader of the group. From the start, from the second we meet him, we despise him. A nasty, vindictive, unfeeling, aggressive piece of work, we hope to see him get his deserved comeuppance sooner rather than later. But does he? After his turn in the recent Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, Stevens once again proves he is a fine actor, one that deserves all the plaudits that come his way. Here, he is on his most despicable behaviour, giving the film a more human villain than the Vampire we know is in the house. Some monsters are not monsters at all, just regular people whom we avoid at all costs.
KATHRYN NEWTON AND KEVIN DURAND
Kathryn Newton comes ever so close to stealing the show as Sammy. A tattooed takes no prisoners hacker, Sammy is actually a character that we can’t help but like. Kathryn Newton injects her character with such warmth that we again want her to see the end credits. It helps that the actress immerses herself in her role, giving Sammy a redeeming quality that we don’t expect. She also gets some really killer lines during proceedings, ones that have us roar with laughter at times. And she also has a great sense of comic timing, stealing some scenes that you don’t expect. Without a doubt, the actress has another hit on her hands and yet another great performance to go with it.
Kevin Durand as Peter also has us in the palm of his hands. As the so-called ‘Muscle’, we expect the character to be a one-dimensional lunk head, one that is easily disposable and won’t go anywhere. And you’d be wrong. Durand makes Peter so likeable, so nice, that we don’t want to see him get hurt. His friendship and protectiveness of Sammy make him feel like a big brother, one we can turn to in times of crisis as the cast is here. He also gets in on the fun, delivering some brilliant comedic lines to go along with the screams of terror he sometimes emits. The character is a vital component of what makes the film work so well.
WILLIAM CATLETT, ANGUS CLOUD, AND GIANCARLO ESPOSITO
The trio of William Catlett, the late Angus Cloud, and Giancarlo Esposito do get involved in proceedings to a varying degree. Catlett plays Rickles, a sniper who is almost like the main protector of the group. He does get involved early on with what’s happening and what’s to come, much to the actors’ credit. Angus Cloud (to whom, the film is dedicated) is almost as vile as Dan Stevens in his role as Dean. Dean is a drug-taking, loose cannon within the group. Annoying Sammy at times before giving her a scare that leads him to a fateful place. Cloud is very good in his role, making us feel sadness at his untimely passing last year and robbing us of a superb talent. While Giancarlo Esposito plays a mere cameo role as Lambert, but one that is a vital one in the scheme of things.
ALISHA WEIR
And now we come to the young Irish actress, Alisha Weir. I said a few months back that the youngster would go on to become a brilliant actress. At 14 years of age, she is already a force to be reckoned with in the acting world. Here, she has us gripping the arms of our seats from the very first moment Abigail reveals her true self. Before that happens though, we find ourselves drawn to the character. We even feel empathy for her, despite knowing what she really is before the big reveal. It is an astonishing performance from the young actress, one that is without the standout and highlight of the film.
Far from the film resting on the shoulders of the adult stars of the film, the success or failure of the movie rests on her shoulders. Alisha Weir shoulders the burden with ease, giving us not only an unbelievable performance but one that scares the living daylights out of us. A performance that is as riveting as it is scary. And far from baulking at what she has to do as her character, Alisha Weir embraces it fully. The scenes of Abigail’s ballet dancing, both innocent and certainly not so innocent later, are a credit to the prowess the actress puts into the role. This is merely another step in Alisha Weir’s inevitably long acting career but it is one that will be extremely hard to top. She is wonderful. And she certainly doesn’t baulk at the fake blood being thrown around with abandon.
DIRECTION AND WRITING
The direction by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett once again shows that the filmmakers have a great career path ahead of them. The pair already have a great track record behind them, with the fifth and sixth films in the Scream franchise as well as Ready Or Not being critically and universally acclaimed and under their belts. They keep their winning streak going here with a film that looks, sounds and feels amazing. The pairing directs their cast with style and ease, drags out the mood and darkness required and perfectly film the movie. Their colour palette is used to invoke the required mood, their shots are framed wonderfully, and they give the movie an accomplished, polished look throughout.
The script by Stephen Shields and Guy Busick is superb. It is also unexpected. They inject some wonderful humour into their writing to offset the foul language and horror the script contains. But what makes it even better is, they take the tried and tested tropes, the rules of the Vampire movie we’ve all come to expect. And then rip them up and throw them firmly out of the window. Do you know how to kill a Vampire based on what you know from other movies? Think again. The duo have written something that is as fresh as a newly opened vein. It makes the film work on so many levels, the pair must be afforded huge credit for creating something this good.
THE SCORE
The score that accompanies the film is by Brian Tyler. Once again, the composer delivers. Tyler has provided a score that is thrilling, enjoyable as well as haunting and scary. Every frame of the film goes hand in hand with Tyler’s music here. It is yet another original and unique score from the masterful composer. One that haunts us as the final credits roll and long after we’ve left to go home.
VERDICT
Abigail gives the Vampire horror movie genre an injection of fresh blood, in a film that has a lot more bite to it than we expected. If the audience walks in thinking they know what’s coming and what to expect, they’ll stagger from the cinema in shock. This does give them what they think they’ll get but delivers much more that will surprise them. If they want blood, guts, violence and gore, they will get them, as can be expected. But what they won’t expect is how engaging, thrilling and comedic the film is amongst all the horror.
A word to the wise, however. If you’ve read or heard the film contains enough blood to fill a swimming pool, don’t believe it. The movie contains enough fake blood to create an ocean. It is extremely blood-soaked throughout. It truly is that full of blood. But it is justified. The film doesn’t shy away from showing the nastiness of the events it depicts. But that adds to the fun we have with being scared throughout. The Vampire genre needed a film like this. The horror genre needed a film like this. Horror fans needed a film like this. And the cinema needed a film like this. And without a doubt, Abigail delivers what we wanted, needed and more. It really is a case of ‘Fangs a lot’ to all involved with the movie. To not put too fine a point on it, it is bloody marvellous. Don’t be shy, sink your teeth into it at your earliest opportunity.
Abigail is released in cinemas on Friday, April 19th by Universal Pictures.
Introducing Carl! As the News Editor at Future of the Force, Carl has been an invaluable member of our team since early 2016. His expertise and dedication have made him an integral part of our editorial staff. Beyond his professional role, Carl is a fervent supporter of Liverpool F.C. and an avid follower of pop culture. He has a deep passion for Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the iconic movie franchises Star Wars and Star Trek.
He can be found either at his neighborhood cinema, enjoying the latest releases on the big screen, or at home streaming the newest blockbuster movies.
