April is delivering on the horror movies front.
Vampire movies are my bread and butter, and I am exceptionally picky when it comes to make a good one. I spent my formative years watching Buffy, and in high school I read Twilight at the same time I was reading Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire to compare and contrast the positives of both. And before you ask, no, I didn’t have a lot of friends.
I didn’t need them. I had vampires. And Abigail is a movie for people, like me, who not only love vampires – but are little fucking weirdos in the best way.
Abigail tells the story of a group of thieves who take a wealthy crime lord’s daughter, Abigail, hostage. If they can keep her safe for 24 hours, each will receive $7 million. However, things take a turn when it is revealed that Abigail is actually a vampire ballerina who is not only hungry, but pissed off, and she decides to take the gang on the worst 24 hour ride of their lives. I fucking love this movie – I love the premise, I love the cast, I love the new take on a classic bloodbath vampire movie. This movie knows how to have fun, and it knows that’s what the audience wants as well. From the quick paced dialogue, to the brilliant cuts and angles that add to the impending doom, Abigail reminds me of some of my favourite vampire movies from the 80’s and 90’s – you know not everyone is making it out alive, but you know it’s going to be going out in a blaze of glory.
As it just got released nationally April 19, I am going to refrain from spoilers as I want everyone to see this movie. Abigail is wild, in concept alone – having a child antagonist empowered with supernatural abilities is always one of the most haunting decisions a director and writer can make, but it’s also the most fun you can possibly have. Villains who can go from disarmingly cute to straight up ripping someone’s head off are so much cooler and kind of easy to root for. Alisha Weir as Abigail is adorable but intimidating, owning every single scene she is in as an unstoppable force of chaos. Having her be a child vampire ballerina adds a layer of whimsy to this traditional monster, and Weir is so talented she is effortlessly mastering both. She is a character to be feared and, in some instances in the film, cheered for. Weir is perfectly cast in this titular role, paired against backdrops and sceneries filled with such unimaginable gore and horror, the pool being the biggest and foulest culprit when it comes to the nightmarish mansion, all while wearing a pink tutu. Abigail knows what it is from the start, and invites the audiences into the madness with our poor protagonists, the group of thieves.
The performances in these roles were sublime; Melissa Barrera is Joey the thief with the heart of gold, Dan Stevens as Frank a former NYPD officer and all around douchebag, Cinema Cemetery darling Kathryn Newton as wealthy, sweethearted hacker Sammy, Angus Cloud as get away driver Dean (who you KNOW had a heart of gold), Kevin Durand as mob muscle (with not a lot of brains, but a lot of heart) Peter, and Will Catlett as marine sniper Rickles.
Each of these actors are not only having the time of their lives, but they are bringing exactly the right energy to each and every one of these roles. Barrera is certainly the emotional core of this film, bridging an actual connection with Abigail while also desperate to survive and make the night. Barrera is great in this ensemble piece and captures the energy needed for this character; grounded in reality, Joey is the character who has the most at stake and Barerra gives a nuanced and heartfelt performance that still feels perfectly at home in the bizarre and horrifying circumstances. Countering that are her cohorts, who are simultaneously exceedingly fun to watch while you also cannot believe the horrors they go through. Stevens and Newton give particularly memorable performances, with Stevens perfectly balancing the menace he showed in earlier film work like The Guest, while also being fallible and not always in control. Newton is, as always, a delight as Sammy – she’s sweet, she’s smart, and has all the energy of a survivor with none of the technical skills. Her, Peter and Dean are three sweet people who get put through the ringer and my heart BREAKS for them. The use of vampires and attempts to kill them in this film are remniscient of The Lost Boys, with some of the fight scenes in this film feeling like they would fit right into the ’87 classic, characters covered in blood, fighting for their lives, and still managing to fit in a quip – DELICIOUS! I love this content. Newton and Stevens and the rest of the cast make these characters feel utterly human, adding to the stakes (pun so intended) as they are faced with this supernatural monster and having to base what will save them on what used to work in vampire movies – that’s such a fun use of the vampire, holy shit.
That was the other thing – the actors are having fun with a fun concept, but the writing is also just such a blast, referencing old vampire movies and lore and really driving a love home of the genre (The onions thing was…iconic, to put it lightly). Watching a monster that has existed for thousands of years in popular culture being done as something NEW and unique is such a special moment in cinema. Abigail knows it’s audience and wants to subvert their expectations while also honoring where they came from – of course there is lots of bloodshed, of course loyalties are tested, but there is so much innovation inspired by a love of the genre that I think makes Abigail stand out as a new addition to the more respected vampire film collection. Child vampires aren’t used enough, and when they are they’re bumped off by a group like the Volturi, so to add one that is so menacing and brutal is a really great thing for the genre. Monsters need to stay the same, but they also need to be seen from a new lense – and I think in the age of Abigail and Megan, we are in a great state for horror, in which these young women are just unbeatable, killing machines.
When we complain about rehashes and sequels, films like Abigail that reinvent a classic in a good way. There is nothing better than sitting in cinema and knowing you are going to be in for a wild ride, and that is what this film delivers. A stellar cast, a fun idea, and some of the most disgusting kills I’ve ever witnessed – and some real heartfelt moments – Abigail delivers on all fronts, and I can’t wait for you to see it so you can gush about it with me.