Abigail - Review Thread

Another movie that satisfyingly delivers on what it promises. I've seen some debate as to whether or not the studio did the movie a disservice by giving away its big hook in the trailers, but for my money, that wasn't the case. Would not knowing the big reveal going in have made this movie any better? I really can't say, but nor do I care. Because how this movie was sold to me is exactly what I got and what I wanted. Abigail is a gleefully gory spin on the vampire genre from the Radio Silence directing duo, who I personally feel have been getting better and better with each of their movies since Ready or Not back in 2019. I admit, though, that I actually wasn't the biggest fan of their debut feature from the get-go, but Abigail, to me, feels like the more successful version of the type of movie that Ready or Not was trying to be. It's one that combines horror with comedy a bit more smoothly, and in ways that feel like they naturally compliment each other, and legitimately charming and fun characters who may not be the most sympathetic or dynamic necessarily, but still contain more than enough personality to make them come across as just slightly more than your average monster movie menu items. Building off that, the core cast plays well off of one another, with Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens and Kathryn Newton in particular adding to the personality of the movie, but let's not overlook Alisha Weir as the titular Abigail, who really embraces her role here with gusto and is a big part of what helps this movie be so fun. Yet, credit there also goes to the Radio Silence directing duo, who make sure the tone of this movie stays just right. They really embrace the bloodshed, most of time in unabashedly over-the-top fashion that just adds to the occasionally bonkers tone, but just in terms of the storytelling, this movie is paced well with an always-maintained level of entertainment value. The movie admittedly indulges in an action-like climax that doesn't feel fully earned, though, and includes a sudden villain turn that undercuts the movie's actual threatening force just a little. But overall, Abigail is a lot of fun and definitely worth the recommendation for genre fans, especially.