After finding success with their original film Ready or Not and revitalising the Scream franchise, the team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett return with their latest project: a reimagining of the 1936 Universal Classic Monsters film Dracula’s Daughter. With an enticing ensemble and the promise of a 10-year-old ballet-loving vampire, there is a lot to be excited for with Abigail.
The film sees a crew of criminals who have been contracted to kidnap a young girl in order to ransom her back to her father for millions of dollars. After getting comfortable in their assigned safehouse, it becomes clear quickly that they have gotten far more than they’ve bargained for as the girl has
Abigail is a lot of fun. While it is far removed from its inspiration, Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett have taken the idea of a little girl vampire and locked her in a building with a crew of criminals that we like enough but not so much that there isn’t a part of us that wants to see little Abigail sink her fangs into them. One of my favourite elements of the film is the crew trying to work out what kind of vampire Abigail is, what she can do and what can actually hurt her with both gory and funny results.
After M3gan last year, there is definitely something appealing yet horrific about a small female figure trying to kill people but also having people somewhat successfully fight back. The characters do not hold back at times in Abigail with some pretty brutal attacks on this child. Admittedly it’s all fair play with Abigail delivering as good as she gets. A lot of this also comes down to the performance of Alisha Weir who does a great job of playing the sweet scared little girl before turning into the ruthless hundreds-of-years old vampire.
Melissa Barrera is putting forward a strong case for being the reigning Scream Queen with a great performance here as Joey, a former addict who is trying to earn money to reunite with her son. Joey is far for grizzled than Barrera’s Sam Carpenter in the Scream films, making her a more believable force when the shit hits the fan.
Dan Stevens continues to prove that in 2024, he knows his assignments. A true delight on screen, he oscillates brilliantly between being Joey’s main antagonist or closest ally at times, able to be deadly serious or provide a comedic icebreaker. One of my favourite moments sees him appear to be inhabited with the spirit of Joe Pesci’s Harry Lyme from Home Alone as he curses this child that he was sure he was going to get the better of.
Kathryn Newton is a lot of fun as Sammy, a hacker rebelling against her rich parents, while Kevin Durand plays Peter perfectly as a man there for his brawn, not his brains. Angus Cloud, in one of his final roles, makes the most of his time bringing a unique vibe to the crew before everything goes pear-shaped.
The film does have some weaknesses, with it taking its time working towards the expected reveal and several info dumps, which the film does try to deliver in a more palatable way. The biggest flaw of the film unfortunately is the final confrontation that feels derivative in its delivery, even if elements of it are interesting. There was certainly something there but the execution left a lot to be desired.
As someone who does not find joy in being scared, I enjoyed my time with Abigail. I found myself caught up in the mystery of the situation, enjoying the various twists and not hating the feeling of tension as I felt a jump scare was sure to be had any second. With a lot of fun moments and what must have been an exorbitant fake blood budget, this is a horror movie I can get behind.
Ashley Hobley attended an advance screening of Abigail thanks to Universal Pictures Australia and Reading Cinemas.
