For some reason there is a resurgence in the vampire film genre. Last year’s Renfield felt bright, flashy and different and the upcoming Ryan Coogler film, Marvel’s Blade film and a Dracula western film all but further proves that blood-sucking monsters are back in force on the big screen. The latest vampire thriller is Abigail, which is another new and original twist on the formula.
A few years back, filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett crafted a horror comedy unlike any other with the bloodbath slasher thriller film Ready or Not with Samara Weaving. The tone, style and story made the film stand out above the rest while also honouring the heritage of horror cinema with flavours of Scream, Rebecca, Knives Out and Clue interspersed with the film. The same can be said with Abigail, a film that honours films such as The Shining, Interview with the Vampire and Dracula’s Daughter for a completely truly fresh and unique story.
Abigail stars Alisha Weir as the titular young ballerina girl who gets kidnapped by a group of experts and held captive for twenty-four hours until Abigail’s father pays the ransom for her safe return. So far it sounds like an interesting premise, but when the group of individuals discover that she is secretly a vampire the tone becomes much more fun and lighthearted. Everyone is in danger and Alisha Weir showcases a sense of threat, danger and maturity as the titular vampire. Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Will Catlett, Kevin Durand, Kathryn Newton and the late Angus Cloud all play the kidnappers and each one feels like a character from a murder mystery film. Their backstories and lives are slowly revealed throughout the film as each one of them has secrets that soon become unfurled.
The style and tone of the film is very similar to Ready or Not and the story takes some similar twists and turns to that of their earlier film. There is a sense of fun with the scriptwriting but the nature of the story is a little bit predictable, but some of the deaths and twists are clever and rewarding though. This is very much a fun film as I keep mentioning, saying that there is a sense of levity with the comedy aspects which help to make the film much easier to view. That is mainly because there is a lot of blood in the film. The death’s are explosive to say the least, with a lot of body horror elements which fans of horror films such as Saw will definitely enjoy but it will not be for everyone.
Abigail feels like a film that will one day gain cult status. It is not exactly a revolutionary film or a film that drastically changes the genre but it offers some new and entertaining. You will not be bored at all and all the characters are perfectly cast by people who understand what kind of tone the film is aiming for. There is a sense of lightheartedness but the threat feels very real and Alisha Weir is absolutely magnetic and captivating as a killer vampire. I can see Weir having a long and bright future in this industry and I am looking forward to seeing how the vampire film genre continues to evolve in the coming years too.
★★★★☆
4/5
Final Verdict:
Abigail, much like Ready or Not and Renfield, is a blood-soaked comedy horror film that understands the legacy of vampire films. The result is something fun, original and different. The cast are all brilliant, the script is baked with comedy and horror and the story completely draws you in. You just become invested within the film and you have a great time from start to finish and that is all you want from something like Abigail. It isn’t exactly unpredictable but the film does a good job of standing out in the long legacy of vampire cinema.
Thanks for reading today’s blog!
Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions
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