Abigail

Movie Name: Abigail
Year of Release: 2024
Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Starring: Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Alisha Weir, William Catlett, Kathryn Newton, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud, Giancarlo Esposito, Matthew Goode
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
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Synopsis and Review

The directing duo of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, keep their prolific output going, following their back to back features "Scream" and "Scream VI", which came out in 2022 and 2023. "Abigail" follows the story of a group of strangers who are brought together to kidnap a young girl, whom they know nothing about. These 6 individuals, all with specific skills, are led by someone named Lambert, who informs them that in 24 hours they'll have a collective stash of 50 million dollars to divide amongst themselves. They all use fake names to address each other, and the group is comprised of Joey, a former Army medic and recovering drug addict, Frank, who is a former detective, Sammy, a well-off thrill-seeking hacker, Rickles, a former Marine sniper, Peter, a slightly intellectually challenged mob enforcer, and Dean, a sociopathic driver. Joey is tasked with overseeing the care of Abigail, the young girl who has been kidnapped, and they soon realize she's the daughter of Kristof Lazaar, a powerful crime lord. That scares them all, as they've heard stories of the brutality of his crimes and enforcements. When Dean is killed they suspect that one of Lazaar's killers is in the house, but much to their surprise, they discover that the killer is in reality Abigail, who is a vampire, and has been toying with them all along. They all decide to battle her in the hopes they can make it till dawn, so they can get out of the house in which they secluded her. 

The premise for "Abigail" is rather straightforward: a kidnap story that goes awry when the group realizes the victim is actually a ruthless predator, and turns out the abductors are set to become victims to the one they were originally terrorizing. The twist here is the fact that the victim turns out to be a vampire, and the group is comprised of very different personalities, all of which have their own agendas, scruples (or lack of), and ambitions. The concept reads very much like a B-movie, where these characters are briefly described, with their motivations very clearly outlined from the beginning. The filmmakers smartly avoid pretension, and recognize the silliness of the premise, walking a rather tasteful fine line, never falling into the silly carnage of Robert Rodriguez's "From Dusk Till Dawn", but also not diving into the interesting and layered environment (and atmosphere) that Tomas Alfredson's "Let the Right One In" perfectly conveyed. It's a film that is polished in its execution, with a cast that is invested in bringing these characters to life, but where everyone is also clearly aware that this isn't the most memorable endeavor they've ever been on. As such, the surprises are few, but the filmmakers manage to keep the narrative compelling and the interactions between this group of characters minimally engaging. It would have been nice to devote some additional time to Abigail and her father, but that wasn't the case for this film, which is ultimately more interested in the blood fest that dominates the third act. Alisha Weir, Dan Stevens, and Kevin Durand are the highlights of the cast, alongside the scary cameo from Matthew Goode. The production team is solid, including Brian Tyler's score, Aaron Morton's score, and Susie Cullen's production design (the dilapidated mansion has great details to it). It's watchable, but ultimately forgettable.