If you don’t know anything about Abigail, the latest horror film from Ready or Not and Scream VI directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (a.k.a. Radio Silence) then you might want to turn back if you don’t want to have the film’s central “twist” spoiled. Although, if you’ve seen the trailer, then you know what’s up.
With that warning out of the way, Abigail centers on a team of kidnappers that includes Dan Stevens, Melissa Barrera, and Euphoria‘s Angus Cloud in his final role. However, the little girl they’ve captured proves to be more than just a 10-year-old ballerina. She’s the daughter of a wicked powerful vampire, and just like dear ol’ dad, she’s quite skilled at dropping bodies.
Based on early reviews, Abigail is on par with directors’ breakout hit, Ready or Not, which also focused on a victim turning on her captors in a creepy mansion. For the most part, the critics were on board with seeing Radio Silence do what they do best:
Frank Sheck, The Hollywood Reporter:
Breathlessly paced and filled with the sort of black humor that makes it as much a comedy as a horror film, Abigail is wildly entertaining for most of its running time, although it becomes overly burdened with baroque narrative flourishes. The joy exhibited by the Radio Silence directors in delivering as much excessive gore as possible is matched by the terrific ensemble, who must have spent much of the shoot getting hosed down after takes. Take Stevens, for example. With his looks, he could easily be a leading man in Nicholas Sparks adaptations. Instead, he’s opting for entertaining character turns such as this one, in which he seems to have stepped out of an old gangster movie.
Katie Walsh, The Los Angeles Times:
Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett have a gleefully maximalist horror style. The blood is dark and sticky; it doesn’t just spurt, it geysers, projects and splatters. Bodies burst like water balloons under pressure, goopy viscera raining from wall to wall. It’s uniquely them, but they pay homage to the greats: Kathryn Bigelow’s “Near Dark,” the leaping vampires of “Blade” and an oblique script reference to the 1936 film “Dracula’s Daughter,” which offers a layered double meaning to the film.
William Bibbiani, The Wrap:
The whole ensemble cast understands the assignment, and almost everybody works wonders with their characters, even if they die early and don’t get much screen time. Melissa Barrera carries the film’s whole emotional crux like it weighs nothing, Dan Stevens is (as always) a perfect weirdo, Kathryn Newton is (as always) funny as hell, and Kevin Durant is (as always) perfectly adorable. But in the end the movie falls on the shoulders of Alisha Weir, who gives an incredibly complex and difficult performance. This young actor convincingly plays a centuries-old mass murderer who loves ballet so much she can’t help herself. There should be Oscars for this kind of thing.
Kim Newman, Empire:
Here, they revisit the chase-around-a-spooky-mansion scenario, with smart, desperate chatter (it’s a great ensemble of jittery character acting) and gruesome splatstick comedy. Once the vampire card is on the table, there are several more surprises to spring. Future horror scholars can ponder why audiences in our era were so terrified of monsters shaped like little girls, but Abigail is a welcome sister to the Orphan and M3GAN in a trinity of tween-impersonating killing machines.
However, not every critic was enthralled with Abigail. Others felt the characters and plot were too thin while the constant blood-spattering was way too thick:
Simon Abrams, RogerEbert.com:
You already know what you’re in for if you’ve come to “Abigail” to watch a body count caper featuring plummy character actor performances from That Guys like Kevin Durand and Dan Stevens. Most of their co-stars keep up in less attractive roles, including Melissa Barrera’s thinly drawn anti-heroine team leader. There’s also plenty of viscous-looking blood splatter and some modestly good-looking vampire makeup—the fangs, in particular. Some action scenes are well-choreographed, but generally over-edited and shot just ahead of whatever’s moving on-screen. The rest of this 90-minute genre exercise is unfailingly conventional, though that’s also a big part of its ostensible appeal.
Owen Gleiberman, Variety:
“Abigail” was directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who made those last two “Scream” films, and though I was impressed, to a degree, by what they brought off there, this movie feels like a step backward into overwrought generic schlock. Why does a vampire movie need to be so relentlessly physical, with whacked limbs and decapitations and bodies slammed into walls? Dracula, among other things, is the most metaphorical character in horror-film history, and I guess his daughter could be too, but not in a film that turns bloodsucking into a form of professional wrestling.
Alison Foreman, IndieWire:
Yes, “Abigail” was conceived as a new take on “Dracula’s Daughter.” But as the finished product stands, that infamous origin story is as invisible as a vampiric reflection. Not only is Abigail routinely sidelined by a plot that fails to trust her skills, but the ostensible underpinnings to her character are as half-assed as one-sided fang. If ballet means anything to anyone (and it doesn’t have to but specificity helps), it’s not on display here. And with neither a solid backstory nor a truly satisfying kill to stand on, “Abigail” is a far cry from the classic horror movies featuring her dad who actually matters.
Abigail opens in theaters on April 19.
