#REVIEW: “ABIGAIL”

Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong

Sometimes going into Movies as blind as absolutely possible is the best way to experience them. However, trailers seem continuously to give away too much time again, so with all of that being said this Review is going to be as spoiler-free as possible. ABIGAIL Directors Radio Silence (Matt Bettinelli-Oplin and Tyler Gillet) have an endlessly entertaining time in store for their audience. In a sea of vampire stories, ABIGAIL offers something truly inventive.

The Movie focuses on a group of misfit criminals who are hired by Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito) to kidnap Abigail (Alisha Weir) and hold her in this remote turn of the century house for 24 hours so they can collect their ransom. The band of criminals consists of Joey (Melissa Barrera) Frank (Dan Stevens) Rickles (William Catlett), Sammy (Kathryn Newton) Peter (Kevin Durand) and Dean (Angus Cloud). The plan is simple, successfully kidnap the girl, stay in the creepy deserted house for 24 hours and become seven million dollars richer, the issue; not everything is as it seems and they certainly kidnapped the wrong little girl. Without giving away too much about the plot, the crew end up getting to know each other a little too well and want to go their own separate ways. The chaos truly starts to unfold from here in the second and third acts of Abigail.

What makes the Film work so incredibly well, outside of the surprisingly hilarious Script penned by Stephen Shields and Guy BBusick. It lends itself to the scenario everyone finds themselves in incredibly well, while giving the Actors so much to work showcasing their talents. Dan Stevens has been on a roll this year, completely transforming himself yet again here to play the head boss of the crew with his no BS attitude, to ensure everything goes off without a hitch. While on the other hand, we have Kathryn Newton who shines as the hacker who just is thrilled to be part of the action and has a complete blast throughout the entire Film, and the late Angus Cloud  shines and provides the most laughter throughout his screentime. However, it is Alisha Weir and Melissa Barrera who have the most chemistry, the former brilliant in her creepy childlike innocence, even when not everything is at it seems with her character. Barrera is the most relatable and in the band of criminals and creates a strong bond with Weir. The entire Ensemble though brings everything together and create the perfect blend of Horror and Comedy to make Abigail the blood-soaked extravaganz that audiences are sure to sink their teeth into.

It is so easy for the audience to truly lose themselves in and fall in love with the absolute chaos that is Abigail. There is so much blood, guts and gore and the hits keep rolling, leaving the audience at the edge of their seats with anticipation throughout. It will be a hard fought battle to find a more enjoyable time than Abigail in cinemas this weekend.

Universal Pictures Canada release Abigail in theatres on Friday, April 19, 2024