In the wake of numerous horror reboots and sequels — from THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER to the newly-announced THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT — it’s easy to become exasperated by lack of new material in the genre.
In 2019, directing duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett took on the challenge to bring original horror material back into cinemas. They released their beloved, brutal, and funny horror flick READY OR NOT, a film about a young bride being hunted by her in-laws so they can sacrifice her to Satan before dawn. READY OR NOT excelled in its wit, production design, characters — and its unabashed love of bodily explosions and gore. With its release, Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett established themselves as dangerously funny and esteemed horror filmmakers, ready to bring new, terrifying stories to the table.
The directors’ latest offering is ABIGAIL — a stylish, gory vampiric terror tale inspired by the 1936 Universal film, DRACULA’S DAUGHTER. Despite technically being a reboot, Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett take the term to new heights, creating an original and visceral gory good time at the movies.
ABIGAIL is centered on the kidnapping of the eponymous young daughter of an underworld boss by a ragtag team, led by the slimy, Queens-accented, bespectacled Frank (Dan Stevens).
In Frank’s ever-bickering crew is the brooding ex-army medic Joey (Melissa Barrera), the austere ex-military Rickles (Will Catlett), spacey tech genius Sammy (Kathryn Newton), lovable, dim-witted muscle Peter (Kevin Durand) and pot-smoking getaway driver Dean (Angus Cloud, in his final — and unfortunately annoying — film role).
The gang of criminals kidnap the lonely Abigail (Alisha Weir) after her nightly ballet practice, and they bring her to a remote, dilapidated mansion in the woods, where they’re briefed by Frank’s enigmatic associate, Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito). The felons are holding Abigail for ransom in hopes that her all-powerful father will give them millions, so they can start their lives anew.
Joey is tasked with being the sole communicator with Abigail, who tearfully explains that her father — Kristof Lazar (Matthew Goode, playing a refreshing, urbane and viciously creepy Dracula) — doesn’t love nor care about her, and therefore, they will receive no money. The news that Lazar is Abigail’s father rattles the group; the underworld kingpin is feared like a Bloody Mary-type urban legend, notorious for gruesomely slaughtering and dismembering anyone who wrongs him.
Abigail quickly sheds her cute ballerina façade for that of her true form — a bloodthirsty, centuries-old child vampire (with some gnarly 30 DAYS OF NIGHT chompers). As Abigail so sweetly puts it with blood smeared across her little face, she “plays with her food;” toying with each member of Frank’s crew until bodies begin to pile up in puddles of growing crimson.
Throughout the film, Joey struggles with the haunting thoughts of her son, whom she has abandoned due to her drug addiction.
Joey’s backstory attempts to work in tandem with Abigail’s bitter feelings about her absent undead dad — and bring poignancy to their common longing for their loved ones — but fails.
Abigail’s quiet fury towards Lazar, the hinted imagery of the duo throughout the mansion, and their strangely wholesome relationship shown briefly in the film’s final act (when she confronts the towering vampire about his poor parenting skills), is more interesting and sweeter than Joey’s entire character arc. Comparing her and Abigail’s strained familial narratives was a mistake. If anything, it highlights Joey’s weakness as a main character.
That’s where ABIGAIL struggles. Joey’s our heroine, but she doesn’t feel like one. The stakes don’t feel high enough to make you care about Joey, or the relationship she has with her son. Barrera’s lackluster performance only adds salt in the wound; her emotionless delivery of lines allows her to fade into the background while Stevens, Goode (even with his minimal screentime), and Weir steal the show. After READY OR NOT’s brilliant final girl Grace (played by Samara Weaving), I was anticipating a stronger leading lady, but Barrera couldn’t quite get there.
However, ABIGAIL succeeds in many other ways.
Alisha Weir, at such a young age, owns her role and commands the screen. She melts into this ruthless, angelic-looking vampire with ease, and you can tell she’s having a blast with it.
Dan Stevens is in his freakazoid era — and he’s killing it. He’s a standout here, playing a formidable (though often comical) nemesis for Abigail. With flicks like THE GUEST and APOSTLE under his belt — and the highly-anticipated CUCKOO — Stevens is slowly making a name for himself in horror. I especially enjoyed his fearlessness in getting gritty and gross; Frank hurling up gallons of blackened gore and getting drenched in intestines and blood (à la Bill Paxton in NEAR DARK) was one the film’s most memorable sequences. I love that Stevens has gone from Downton Abbey to this.
Goode slithers into his reveal with a distinctive sense of evil; he’s a surprising but fitting and fun choice for a modern Dracula, and his interaction with Abigail left me with a nagging need to know more. I want to see their father-daughter relationship, their history together, and better understand their sore dynamic. If Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett make a sequel, it better be an entire movie about Weir and Goode having vampiric father-daughter moments.
ABIGAIL’s ensemble is a highlight, too — especially Newton. Her air-headedness — like mistaking a hulking sack of onions for garlic — will undoubtedly earn laughs.
To accentuate ABIGAIL’s gory goodness, comedic wit, and some strong performances by the aforementioned trio, the film’s production design is stunning, recalling the gaudy, low-lit mahogany-lined sets of READY OR NOT. It establishes ABIGAIL’s tone effortlessly, creating a sinister atmosphere that feels rooted in an old-school monster movie.
Though ABIGAIL struggles with its final girl, it excels everywhere else. It’s a refreshing, fun entry into the horror genre — and a memorable vampire feature.
Tags: Aaron Morton, Alisha Weir, Angus Cloud, Ballerinas, Ballet, Brian Tyler, Chad Vilella, Dan Stevens, Giancarlo Esposito, Guy Busick, Horror, Kevin Durand, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Matthew Goode, Melissa Barrera, Michael Shawver, Radio Silence Productions, Stephen Shields, Tyler Gillett, Universal Pictures, vampires, Will Catlett
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