by Foster Harlfinger, Contributing Writer
Six criminals are charged with a task, simple in concept, if not in execution. Arranged by the mysterious Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito), our gang of lawbreakers are to kidnap 12-year-old ballet dancer Abigail (Matilda the Musical‘s Alisha Weir), transport her to an upstate New York mansion, and keep watch over her for 24 hours. The kidnapping goes off without a hitch, and now all they have to do is sit and wait for Lambert to return with the ransom payment. The hard part is over, or so it seems.
You see, Abigail is no ordinary child. Joey (Melissa Barrera), who acts as the amiable intermediary between Abigail and the rest of the group, suspects that her parents might not be the sort of people you want to upset. In an act of reckless concern, Frank (a gloriously unhinged Dan Stevens) approaches Abigail at gunpoint, and she reveals that her father is Kristof Lazar, a New York City crime lord whose name alone is enough to instill the crew with fear.
Unfortunately for Joey, Frank, and the gang, Abigail’s next secret presents a far more immediate threat to their well-being than her parentage. Surprise! Abigail is a vampire, and a particularly ruthless one at that. Don’t let her youthful appearance fool you, because she’s got a nasty set of teeth, a wickedly playful attitude, and a serious thirst for blood.
Purportedly a reimagining of the Universal Monsters film Dracula’s Daughter, Abigail bears next to no resemblance to the original 1936 classic, opting for a more modern take on the vampire genre. The film takes its time before revealing the central vampiric twist, a choice that would work brilliantly if not for the film’s trailers and promotional materials which spoil what could have been an all-time great surprise. However, once the Band-Aid is finally ripped off in truly bloody fashion, Abigail lets loose in a way that will have you clapping your hands together in glee when you are not using them to shield your eyes from the blood and guts on display.
Abigail fits right in line with the Radio Silence Productions oeuvre and would make a perfect double-feature with the Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s previous non-franchise outing, Ready or Not. With a tightly-paced edit and an entirely game ensemble cast, Abigail remains a consistently entertaining romp through and through, confirming that Gillett and Bettinelli-Olpin have found their horror niche. Though their time spent as the modern guardians of the Scream franchise will be missed, if they continue to make such enjoyably bite-sized horror flicks, it will be a more than worthy trade.
Rating: Liked It
Abigail is currently playing in theaters
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