Abigail (2024) review

    ABIGAIL is a 2024 movie that, unfortunately, blows its chief surprise in the trailer and it is something that I can't imagine would be kept under wraps for the majority of audiences but would improve the film tremendously if you don't know it. It's still worth seeing if you have been spoiled and I had a lot of fun knowing the "twist" from the beginning but my nieces, who didn't know, had their enjoyment magnified a huge amount. So, if possible, read this review and take friends to see this movie or show it without spoiling it. But if not, don't worry about it.

    The spoiler that isn't really a spoiler if you've heard anything about this movie, really, is that it is a film about a bunch of low-life criminals abducting a little girl named Abigail (Alisha Weir). Said little girl is a vampire and rapidly turns the tables on her abductors. Some of the abductors aren't complete scumbags, though. Some of them are really convinced that they're not going to do any harm to this young bloodsucking horror and don't deserve to be exsanguinated. Theoretically.

    This is essentially a slasher movie but the set-up is extremely entertaining. All of the thieves are well-developed and entertaining. Joey (Melissa Barrera), Frank (Dan Stevens), Rickles (Will Catlett), Sammy (Kathryn Newton), Peter (Kevin Durand), and Dean (Angus Cloud). Yes, as you can gather, they're going by Rat Pack-inspired aliases. Joey is the assumed Final Girl, being the only one who has any bond with Abigail but she's appropriately flawed to the point you think she might die as well.

    The movie is very smart in how it justifies most of the slasher cliches as well. Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito), the man who hired them to kidnap Abigail, collects all of their cellphones before leaving. They're hiding out in a creepy mansion because that is where they were instructed to bring the little girl. The mansion is also locked down because, of course, this is the feeding ground of a vampire that she wants to hunt them through. 

     I could share the twists and turns of the film but it's really exactly what you expect beyond the point that Abigail reveals herself to be the hunter rather than the hunted. Her performance is excellent and the actress manages to convey a sadistic yet ultimately likable undead monster. This is guilt-free eating for her because all of these criminals were willing to kidnap a child for ransom. Why should she feel guilty for tearing them apart? Which, honestly, is a compelling argument.

    The movie isn't perfect. Joey has an extremely charismatic and likable actress but her moral indignation flaws flat given she chose to participate in this kidnapping in the first place. I'm actually of the mind that Sammy, the hacker, is the least cruel one since she's seemingly unaware of just how bad of an action this is done. Indeed, he fact that Dan Stevem's Frank is such an unapologetic scumbag who wants to kill Abigail before they know she's a vampire makes him one of the more humorous characters.

    In conclusion, Abigail is a really fun movie and while it doesn't reinvent the slasher movie, it's certainly a fun time from beginning to end. Alisha Weir is adorable and menacing in equal measure that, even at age fourteen, I could easily see them doing a sequel to this film to before she ages out of the role.