“I for one would like to revisit the ‘cut and run’ idea.”
–Rickles, Abigail.

In a spooky coincidence, 2023 and 2024 saw horror films about females with daddy issues females with daddy issues, with both titular characters bearing the name, Abigail.

The 2024 Abigail is better-known than her 2023 counterpart–

–and a tad more dangerous.

Title: Abigail (2024)

Cast and Crew

Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Writers: Stephen Shields, Guy Busick

Alisha Weir as Abigail
Melissa Barrera as Joey
Dan Stevens as Frank
William Catlett as Rickles
Kathryn Newton as Sammy
Kevin Durand as Peter
Angus Cloud as Dean
Giancarlo Esposito as Lambert
Matthew Goode as Lazar

Premise

A criminal agent assembles a skilled team for a job: kidnap a wealthy man’s 12-year-old daughter and hold her in a creepy-looking old mansion until he pays ransom. Their plans go south very quickly as they discover that (1) the girl’s father is a legendary and particularly nasty crime boss and (2) his daughter is not what she appears to be.

High Points

The film gets points for its self-awareness. We’re on a Halloween thrill ride, and most of the movie delivers remarkably well when viewed on that level. The experience gets enhanced by the criminal nature of the main characters. Firstly: although they can be sympathetic and engaging, they agreed to kidnap a child and the danger that they find themselves in amounts to poetic justice. Violent and bloody poetic justice, but possibly they should have made better lifestyle choices. Secondly: the old trope of having an ill-assorted group work together when faced with danger gets complicated by the fact that most of these characters would sell each other out in a heartbeat.

The “onion” dialogue stands out among many absurdly funny exchanges.

Low Points

The film features too much action movie nonsense wherein people bounce back from injuries that would disable them. I recognize that this is a horror-comedy, but the level of stylization detracts from the horror, and it’s not enough of a comedy for this particular stylistic flourish to work.

The first, and best, major twist gets spoiled by the trailer and promotional material. I know that the filmmakers wanted to reach the horror market, but they could have done so without wrecking that twist. The movie would have been better if I’d gone in not having that information.

The Scores:

Originality: 2/6 If you watch horror movies or read mystery novels, you likely can list at least five obvious influences. Most will be from a certain horror subgenre, but viewers might also notice connections to the traditional, often cozy, mystery novel in this not-remotely -cozy, movie. Violence is at an R-rated level and blood flows freely.

Effects: 6/6

Production: 6/6 It’s 2024, and Hollywood thrives on B-movie ideas given A-level treatment.

Acting: 5/6 Abigail might not be what she seems, but Alisha Weir is a young teen and she gives a performance worthy of someone well beyond her years. She learned ballet for her role, and reportedly does most of her own stunts.¹ The repartee and chemistry of the characters, stereotypical though some of them are, enhances both the horrific and comic elements.

Story: 4/6 The story features numerous twists, but three main ones. The first gets spoiled by the trailer and publicity the second should be apparent almost immediately, and the third the movie requires for its plot to make sense.

Emotional Response: 5/6 It’s a fun and often intense horror-comedy. Although not a long movie, the final act feels a little prolonged.

Overall: 6/6 After several failed attempts at creating a Classic Monsters-verse for the modern era, Universal decided to make each film stand on its own. Actually, the original Universal monsters also started without any intrinsic connection, and only later did the studio stitch together a shared universe. The same approach could work here and, depending on the actual identity of a certain character², the film could easily become a backdoor pilot for such a franchise.

That amounts to a footnote. Abigail, which delivers most of its frights and fun in the spirit of a haunted attraction, makes for excellent Halloween viewing.

In total, Abigail receives 34/42

October Countdown 2024:

October 5/6: Abigail (2024) and Abigail (2023)
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)
October 19/20: Hocus Pocus (1993) and Hocus Pocus (2022)
October 26/27: The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023) and Humanist Vampire Seeks Suicidal Person (2023)
October 31: The Love Witch (2016) and Sleepaway Camp (1983) and Dark Gathering (2023)

1. Weir discusses her experiences and preparation for the role in “Matilda star Alisha Weir: I’m back at school, I want to do my Junior Cert”. The Sunday Times. April 28, 2024.
2. The film’s original title was going to be [spoiler]Dracula’s Daughter, and they alternatively considered expressly identifying her father as Dracula or stating that he killed and replaced Dracula as the #1 vampire. [/spoiler] Both ideas were dropped from the final film, but that doesn’t prevent one or the other from being true in the world of the movie and revisited later.
On another note, a brief reference does establish a connection between this film and Ready or Not (the 2019 thriller, not the 1990s tween drama), with which it shares a directorial team.