A One Mann’s Movies review of “Abigail” (2024).
Imagine it’s 1999 and you’ve just made a film called “The Sixth Sense”. You pass it across to the Spyglass Entertainment marketing team to promote it…. and they put out a trailer with a big caption saying “and BRUCE WILLIS as ‘THE GHOST!!” Quite. So, brickbats incoming for the Universal Pictures International marketing team for taking the horror film “Abigail” and managing to DESTROY what could have been a classic movie twist.
I’m NOT going to repeat their error. I’m not going to mention the twist in this tale. (But you probably already know it.) But if you can manage to get to see “Abigail” cold, without this crucial piece of information, then you are in for a bloody fun treat.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
Frank (Dan Stevens) heads up a crew of hand-picked villains which include estranged mum Joey (Melissa Barrera), dumb heavy Peter (“Lost”‘s Kevin Durand), crack-head driver Dean (Angus Cloud), thrill-seeking rich-girl hacker Sammy (Kathryn Newton) and ex-military Rickles (William Catlett). They have been tasked by the shadowy Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito) to kidnap the daughter – Abigail (Alisha Weir) – of a very rich person. But that person has power and influence and a vicious right hand man called ‘Valdez’, putting all of the team’s lives at risk.
Certification:
UK: 18; US: R. (From the BBFC web site: “Strong bloody violence, gore”.
Talent:
Starring: Dan Stevens, Melissa Barrera, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud, Kathryn Newton, William Catlett, Giancarlo Esposito, Alisha Weir.
Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett.
Written by: Stephen Shields & Guy Busick.
Twitter Handle: #AbigailMovie.
Running Time: 1h 49m.
Ensemble arrival. From L, Angus Cloud, Kathryn Newton, Alisha Weir, Kevin Durand, Dan Stevens, Melissa Barrera and William Catlett. (Source: Universal International Pictures).
“Abigail” Review:
Positives:
- This is bloody good fun! We spend most of our time in a spooky house that seems to go on forever and we are in the well-trod territory of bumping the majority of our cast off in suitably grisly ways. While there are a few jump-scares, most of the horror is played for comic effect. As a couple of points, the volume of gore is just so (SO!) excessive that I’m afraid I burst out into hysterical laughter! (I could really let rip since I saw this in a matinee and I was the only person in the whole screen!)
- The cast all do a fantastic job here:
- Dan Stevens is fabulous and seems to be having enormous fun… as indeed he did last month in “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire“. And because he’s having fun, we do too. I was re-watching the first ever episodes of “Downton Abbey” the other day with a very young Stevens: he’s really become a flexible jobbing actor in films these days and never seems to get typecast.
- Alisha Weir – from “Matilda The Musical” and “Wicked Little Letters” – shows that she is an actress with real promise to jump the divide between ‘child star’ and ‘leading actress’. She really is THAT impressive.
- Melissa Barrera, Sam Carpenter from the recent “Scream” movies, also makes for a personable and attractive heroine.
- There’s a late cameo appearance from one of Dan Stevens’s “Downton Abbey” co-stars, which is fun!
- The script is snappy and tight with some great zingers. As the crew get shut in the house to guard their charge, the record player cranks up with an old-time country song by Buck Owens – “Goodbye, Good Luck, God Bless You” go the lyrics… LOL!
- The choreography is also great with Alisha Weir doing most of her own stunts and some impressive ballet steps. This comes to the fore in a wonderful intercut dance scene between Abigail and another character… simply brilliant.
- The production design is impressive as are the special effects. (The film was shot in Dublin. Supplies of fake blood must have been shipped in from all over the country!)
Negatives:
- Some of the ‘logic’ doesn’t make a lot of sense. Some characters are affected by some things and others not (I can say no more without spoilers!).
- I’m not going to let the marketing department off the hook for their heinous crimes. I find it enormously frustrating that this could otherwise have been a modern classic.
This was the last film of Angus Cloud who died of a drugs overdose in July 2023. The film is dedicated to him.. (Source: Universal International Pictures).
Summary Thoughts on “Abigail”
I know horror – even horror with a comedic twist like this – is not for everyone. But I had an absolute blast with this film. It’s a bit of a B-movie, but brilliantly done.
Where to Watch it (Powered by Justwatch)
Trailer for “Abigail”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PsP8MFH8p0 . If you want to avoid the spoiler, DO NOT watch the trailer!
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