You’ve got to pick up every stitch
Oh no, must be the season of the witch
Must be the season of the witch!
–Donovan’s much-covered 1966 song.

The time has come and the clocks count down. Fantastic folklore fills the airwaves and the population lives in dread and suspense and fear. So, in order to detract you from the U.S. Election and other world events, we’re hosting our annual Halloween Countdown!

This October, the Bureau bleeds out thirteen seasonal film reviews (including four that share a title with Donovan’s song). We’re starting this weekend with a pair of unearthly Abigails, released a year apart.

Click below for a review, followed close by a sinister list of Halloween reviews for 2024.

Title: Abigail (2023)

Cast and Crew

Director: Melissa Vitello
Writers: Gunnar Garrett

Ava Cantrell as Abigail
Tren Reed-Brown as Lucas
Gene Farber as Eddie
Hermione Lynch as Eve
Karimah Westbrook as Donna
Yanni Walker as Deputy Morgan
Rob Gore as Sheriff Moxey
Trace Talbot as Daniel
Patrick Hilgart as Micah
Meredith Vivian as Victoria
Conner Stiles as Ben
Jodie Garrett as Mrs.Thompson
Gunnar Garrett as Stettson

Premise

In the 1970s, a peculiar girl and her mother move to a small town to escape a dark past. Dark pasts have a way of catching up with people and soon the town’s crime and death rate both receive an unhealthy boost.

Think of it as an Afterschool Special about bullying that turns really disturbing.

High Points

While the first major twist will be obvious to most viewers, I don’t think I am alone in not seeing the final one coming. I should have, really, but they handle it well, and the film which gets us there works reasonably well on its own terms.

Lucas faces genuinely difficult decisions, and they have consequences.

Low Point

It’s difficult to believe that, even in the 1970s, the actions of the various teenage characters, antagonists and protagonists, would not result in far more serious official consequences.

Of course, those who cross Abigail receive other kinds of consequences.

The Scores:

Originality: 3/6 The fact that we have a quiet coming-of-age movie mixed with a violent slasher flick represents an original choice, but a lot of what occurs is clichéd and derivative.

Effects: 4/6

Production: 4/6 We’re watching a low-budget movie which makes a fair effort at recreating a past era.

Acting: 4/6 The leads are good; Ava Cantrell, in particular, seems destined for better things. The cast overall is uneven.

Story: 4/6

Emotional Response: 3/6 Abigail works as an interesting low-budget slasher, but it’s not particularly compelling.

Overall: 4/6

In total, Abigail (2023) receives 26/42

The Schedule

October 5/6: Abigail (2024) and Abigail (2023): JD
October 12/13: Season of the Witch (1972) and Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) and Season of the Witch (2009) and Season of the Witch (2011) : JD
October 19/20:Hocus Pocus (1993) and Hocus Pocus (2022): ‘Lex
October 26/27: The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023) and Humanist Vampire Seeks Suicidal Person (2023): JD
October 31: The Love Witch (2016):’Lex and Sleepaway Camp (1983): JD and Dark Gathering (2023): Alexander Case