Abigail (2024) Movie Review

Plot Summary

Lambert tasks Joey, Frank, Rickles, Sammy, Peter, and Dean with kidnapping Abigail. Each one is promised millions of dollars and thinks this will be an easy job and that within 24 hours, they’ll be rich.

However, as night comes, Abigail goes from feigning that she is a weak and innocent girl and reveals she is a vampire. But there is more to her story than what the trailer revealed.

Content Information

• Dialog: Cursing
• Violence: Gun Violence, Dismemberment, Blood, Notable Fight Scenes
• Sexual Content: None
• Miscellaneous: Depiction of Corpses, Gore, Drinking, Drug Use, Vomiting, Smoking

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. Why was Abigail chosen to be turned into a vampire?

Characters and Cast Members

Character Name	Actor
Joey	Melissa Barrera
Frank	Dan Stevens
Rickles	William Catlett
Sammy	Kathryn Newton
Peter	Kevin Durand
Dean	Angus Cloud
Lambert	Giancarlo Esposito
Abigail	Alisha Weir

Character Description(s)

Joey

Joey is a former medical personnel in the military who, after an injury and addiction, has hit hard times, so $7 million is needed for her life to bounce back.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Vida: Season 1.”

Frank

Frank is a former cop who got too close to the sun when undercover and now finds himself losing everything because he got a taste of power.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Beauty and the Beast.”

Rickles

Rickles is ex-military, a gun expert, who has a thing for Joey.

• The actor is also known for their role in “The Devil You Know.”

Sammy

Sammy is a hacker from a privileged family.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Lisa Frankenstein.”

Peter

Peter is the former muscle for an organization.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Legion.”

Dean

Dean is someone down on their luck, in need of money, and is a notable driver.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Your Lucky Day.”

Abigail

A multi-century-old vampire stuck in a 12-year-old’s body, who is far more than a vampire who desires to one day perform as a ballerina.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Wicked Little Letters.”

Lambert

Lambert is Frank’s contact, the middle man for the money promised to Frank, and the team posed with kidnapping Abigail.

• The actor is also known for their role in “The Gentlemen.”

Review

Our Rating: Mixed (Divisive)

Good If You Like

• Vampire movies
• Movies set in one place, with a limited cast

Similar To This

1. Interview With The Vampire: Mainly due to how Abigail can remind you of Claudia

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Highlight

So Much Blood, So Much Gore

If you look at “Abigail” the way you look at the “Fast and Furious” franchise, where you just want the one thing that is promised, which for “Abigail” would be blood and gore, this movie does what you want and expect. People lose their heads, explode, and cause blood and guts to fling everywhere, and Abigail has notable tussles, usually with grown men.

The only thing missing from the horror movie playbook is someone hooking up.

On The Fence

It’s Comical At Times

Thanks to the style of Kathryn Newton as Sammy and the actor who plays Peter, while “Abigail” doesn’t deserve to be billed as a comedy, it has its moments where you may chuckle. Peter is often obtuse, and Sammy? Well, if you’ve seen Newton’s past work, Sammy is very much in line with her output of a girl who may come off weird, maybe a bit silly, but has a slightly demented side to her. Think Harley Quinn, but without the psychopath boyfriend or murders.

I would be remiss not to note that the late Angus Cloud also has a few funny lines. Mind you, like Newton, you’ll definitely feel the character and humor could fit past characters they have played, but if you like their output thus far, you’ll at least get a smile from what they deliver in “Abigail.”

The Foundation Of The Characters

One of the things “Abigail” surprisingly did was give nearly every character, including Abigail, a backstory. They mention one being an addict, another formerly a cop, someone in the military, etc. Each person is given a backstory, and while, yes, it is done twice, in a rundown, rather than in a way that could feel natural, it is enough for you to know who is who, whether you know their actor or not.

But the problem is that once the foundation is set, not much is done beyond establishing who most of the characters are. Joey, of course, is pushed to not just be a summary as short as what we provide for character descriptions, but everyone else? You may think that learning something about them early on would allow us to see their humanity, learn why they became the way they did, or gain some sense of depth as the movie goes on, but we don’t.

Though, lest we forget, this is a horror movie, and while many care about making their characters more than fodder for the villain, most only care about going so far, and “Abigail” is in line with that.

Abigail’s Arc

Here is the thing: I like Abigail as a character. She is this centuries-old vampire stuck in a 12-year-old’s body, and at times, she gives me Claudia from “Interview With The Vampire” vibes, minus a desire to dress older and do adult things. However, she does like to hunt and manipulate people for fun. Seeing that gives you that fun villain who you almost are on the side of because you want to see what they do next.

However, then comes trying to soften or humanize Abigail, and things get iffy. In trying to play up her relationship with her maker, you get the same awkward development the majority of the cast has, where you are told why you should care but inconsistently feel like you do. Mind you, there are times Abigail might get you emotional, especially as you aren’t sure if she is messing with someone, testing if they could be a good person, or genuinely needs their help. Which, again, is a testament to the acting in the movie, especially by Alisha Weir.

But, at an hour and forty-nine minutes, there will come a point as Abigail slows the pace of killing people, that the movie starts to wear out its welcome.

The Movie Trying To Show The Trailer Didn’t Give Everything Away

In the second half of the movie, especially within the last half hour or twenty minutes, as the film tries to up the ante and get bloody, it can feel like there is a desire to create some surprises, maybe even a twist, and most if not all fall flat. Now, there is no denying the fights were notable, bloody, and entertaining, but in terms of the story and the character arcs involved? Things fall a bit flat.

Again, not bad enough that you can’t get into the violence, but if you were looking for more than people being impaled, exploding, and things of that nature? While your expectations may not have been high going into “Abigail,” it is sad it doesn’t try to exceed expectations.

How To Watch

Pre-order “Abigail” via  Prime Video.

Background Information

Film Length	Hour  Minutes
Date Released	April 19, 2024
Where To Watch	In Theaters
Director(s)	Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Writer(s)	Stephen Shields, Guy Busick
Based On Work By	N/A
Genre(s)	Horror, Thriller
Content Rating	Rated R