Bloody (and) disgusting. But it struck the right balance for me.
I'm a reluctant horror watcher, but I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to, and I wanted to give it an 8, but knew the treatment wasn't quite "Classic" territory. Nevertheless, I was entertained the entire time, despite the fact that the film starts under the auspices that the audience doesn't know what's going to happen... but does it really? Look at the tagline.
But here's the thing-- to me, it didn't feel like that. Considering viewing environment, etc. YMMV, but I'm a sucker for sepia glow lighting in sumptuous old world micro-mansions, and ballet/ballet music, so I actually enjoyed watching all build up to the reveal (and subsequent raucous revelry.) I really only had disdain for one character, and that was fully intended by the film. If anything, the (initial) reveal would be a bonus for the younger viewers watching a few years from now.
The Cast
I only ever remember seeing Kevin Durand as a Gual'uld in Stargate-SG1, so it was quite amusing to see him playing a lumbering, room-temperature IQ Quebecois heavy. He's got plenty of charm to make Peter palatable and fun to watch. Really, everybody played their parts to the page, except, surprisingly, I found Esposito to be a little too on-brand, and then too hammy, which didn't ring quite as true as the others. Barrera's lead, Joey, started out feeling underdeveloped compared to the rest, but she developed along with the plot. It was a sympathy story, which can often turn me off when it's badly executed, but I was invested, especially with the rapport that Willam Catlett's Rickles ("Rinkles!..." lol) developed. I'll have to watch out for him in the future.
Dan Stevens (is English?!) was perfectly effective as the New England skeezy slimeball ringleader. The onions bit was hilarious, partly due to how believable it was, but his exasperated performance sold it perfectly. In fact, all the screwball bits played out extremely well, both in that I always laughed, and that it seemed to be perfectly balanced within the overall tone, which is always the deciding factor. I'm not a big fan of the "idiots getting killed" trope, but here I cared about the characters just as much as I was supposed to, and it's not something I watch much of, so I'm not 'troped out'. It was terrible in Prometheus, though, since they were all supposed to be leading scientists.
Just in case you haven't already spoiled yourself by looking at the cast list, I have to say that Matthew Goode is not the first name I would have thought of to play the part he was cast for, but it really made sense while watching, especially the voice once I heard it (and I actually did go in blind regarding the identity.)
I'd never seen Alisha Weir in anything before this, but I was appropriately disturbed by the performance, partly in a meta sense, given I wasn't sure about the actual age. But even so, I'm still not sure how I feel about a fourteen year old in such a role. But she did not disappoint--in character, or in toe shoes.
I also hadn't seen Kathryn Newton since she appeared as one of the kids in the phenomenal Halt and Catch Fire, but she really got to show off her range here, even if not quite in the traditional sense.
I can't say I'd be mad about a sequel, but I assume it will more likely be another joint feature starring Barrera with the same writer-directorial team, which I'm totally up for. Actually, I'd be happy to see any of the cast return for similar hijinks. I'll just make sure to also eat beforehand, as I, thankfully, did before witnessing such a-literally-visceral display.
Boy did this one catch me by surprise! I absolutely loved watching 'Abigail'! An unexpected gem!
I knew nothing pre-watch aside from that it was classed, on Wikipedia at least, as horror, so was simply expecting the usual fare à la 'Imaginary' and/or 'Immaculate' (former bad, latter good fwiw). Clearly, what I in fact saw knocked my socks off! I had a tremendous amount of fun with every second of this, it's unsettling as it is amusing... every department did a grand job!
Not even sure where to start with my list of many positives. Alisha Weir is the star of the whole thing, what an utterly brilliant performance from the youngster - so damn convincing, particularly early on. Melissa Barrera is also outstanding, I previously found her fairly forgettable in 'Scream' but here I undeniably liked watching her act. Dan Stevens (another I've found 'meh' elsewhere) impresses as well, as does Kathryn Newton. Heck, everyone onscreen is great.
I love how they showed the bloody (and the blood in general) body implosions, great use of (I assume) practical and special effects - proper thrilled me each time. I was happy to see the film get straight into the plot too, no messing about. It does a good job after that opening portion in setting up the characters before the mess truly hits the fan, which is when the movie seriously clicks into gear. Everything from that point on was an absolute blast - quite literally, eh?!
Going back to that opening few scenes, I was actually a touch concerned when it went from the initial fun escape to a one-location dynamic; I thought that was going to slow it down and make it more in keeping with the vibes of those two earlier 2024 movies that I noted at the top of my review. However, each moment in that one location is fantastic to watch, I have zero complaints. It's all paced to perfection!
Almost stunned at how much I enjoyed this, probably because I wasn't expecting anything from it. Looking at my ratings I've just now realised that I weirdly haven't got a favourite horror movie. According to the Letterboxd sort, I haven't even rated any films from this genre at anything above 9/10 - and even with that score it's only nine flicks, none of which I strongly adore. An unnoticed blind spot in my taste is evidently no longer.
The reviews for this seem generally favourable (at worst), which is nice to see. I've seen many online in agreement with me, what a ride! Not that it needs stating, but I'd highly recommend you check this one out!
Abigail has gotten flak regarding its trailer giving away a "twist". While this is partly true, I felt the trailer made it seem like there would be non-stop ballerina dancing throughout. It came off feeling like it would be a schtick that never stopped. Thankfully the ballerina aspects are kept close to a minimum, albeit never fully explained.
The strength of the film is its ability to keep you guessing, not only what is happening to each character as they are dealt with, but to guess as to the extent our groups of characters are good or secondary villains. Whereas there are some dumb things that happen in the first act, the bulk stays away from dumbing down the audience. We know generally what to expect when it comes to our lead villain, but the rules of the genre are well hidden and only revealed when it is necessary to move the characters forward. Although we get a lot of insight into what the villain is, we do not understand much about who they are. How often she play her game? What type of life does she normally have? Who has to clean up the mess each time?
Some questions wouldn't get answered, but the audience shouldn't have to ask them in the first place. The story is self-contained and doesn't have anywhere to go other than a prequel. It sure is set up for another film to possibly expand what little characters it set up, and it's this lack of character that leaves me feeling unfulfilled. Still, if succeeds a lot more than it fails, nitpicks aside. Deaths could use some diversity, but it's still a bloody good time.
I like horrors but don't usually like vampires in stories, It's because I mostly think that vampire stories are super cheesy but that's coming from the books or films I've already consumed, (Vampire Diaries, Twilight, A Discovery of Witches) This was nothing like those other vampire stories, this was dark, this was gory, this was thrilling.
Alisha Weir, (who made her film debut last year in Tim Minchin's Matilda) returns once again to a titular role. This time, as a young 12 year-old ballerina/vampire. She absolutely scared me in this film with her expressions and her breathy dialect and delivery.
When we look at the setting and the way it was filmed, the setting wasn't anything unique. An abandoned house, pretty standard for a horror film wouldn't you say? But the way it was filmed is what truly drew me in. One piece of cinematography and editing that stood out to me is the parallels between Sammy and Abigail in the dance scene in the latter half of the film. As this is showing Sammy transitioning into a vampire I love how they chose to cut between Sammy and Abigail showing what type of person Sammy was turning into.
The acting overall was quite good and actors managed to pull if an edge of mysterious. I wasn't really fussed on the acting from the guy who played Dean. I found it dry and one-dimensional, however luckily I didn't have to put up with it for that long.
My main gripe with this movie, (the reason I'm docking a star) is I felt the final ten minutes was repetitive. I swear that Abigail died at least 4 or 5 times in this short period but she just kept coming back to life. I know it's a fantasy but this gave me no real sense of urgency. However I loved how at the end of this movie they tied back in the idea of the pinky promise between Joey and Abigail to show that there is something human inside Abigail though she may often be deemed as a monster.
Overall, this is a truly thrilling watch but it's not for the faint of heart. If you want a film that may keep you up at night then Abigail is the one for you.
I found this movie entertaining, though not nearly as good as Ready or Not. A good chunk of the beginning of the movie is dedicated to setup, assuming there will be tension regarding what the actual premise of the movie is in regard to the girl they kidnap. However, the trailers spoiled this aspect of the movie, so I found the beginning setup to be a bit slow. Once it kicks into gear though, the movie alternates between the type of fun horror I've come to expect from these creators, though sometimes it takes itself a bit too seriously. The motivations, development, and drama between all the characters end up not being very important, so I feel like the movie could have ignored some of those aspects entirely instead of trying to build them and then have characters make actions that do not align with those backstories at all (or have those backstories become fully irrelevant). But when the movie shifts away from a lot of this setup and embraces its pulpy, over-the-top core, it ends up being a ton of fun. I loved seeing Dan Stevens and Alisha Weir fully embrace their roles, and there is plenty of gore and silliness that works really well. I just think Ready or Not was a more balanced and complete movie that still managed to lean into these aspects more, but this isn't bad and ends up still being better than their two Scream movies.
Review by AcoucalanchaVIP 4BlockedParent2024-04-19T19:35:35Z
Go in blind without seeing the trailer for this one. The trailer ruined the first and part of the second act for me, it's basically a whodunit mystery in a mansion with the characters being clueless and blaming each other. We've all seen the trailer! That first act is worthless. Why show us the twist it's so frustrating.
Abigail is Ready or Not but with a vampire twist, nothing original and not as good as Ready or Not but it's still a decent fun time. Perfect set, lots of blood, lots of action, and some laugh out loud moments. The tone is completely off though, it's campy most of the time but also tries to be a heartfelt drama at other times—those are polar opposites, it doesn't work! The vampire powers were so interesting, probably my favorite aspect of the movie.
Don't let the title fool you, this movie should be called "Dan Stevens" cause he steals the spotlight as he usually does. The moment when he says "I feel great" and everything after that was peak. As much as I enjoyed him, it's a shame that he steals the spotlight from Abigail (Alisha Weir) because this was supposed to be her movie. She's excellent in the role, always believable, so confident and actually scary. Kathryn Newton was absolutely killer in a certain scene. Melissa Barrera's best performance yet, I wasn't a fan of her acting in Scream VI but she was actually believable here.
As good as the cast is, it tries too hard with the characters. They're not that interesting and the execution for the character buildup could have been better handled. Constantly having to build up those characters in between action scenes slowed down the movie considerably when they should really be dying instead sinse this is a horror movie. It also had no right being this long, a good 20-30 minutes could be cut out. The last twist was laughable and overstayed it's welcome.