“Abigail” is a new horror movie that was released on April 19, 2024. The film was released by Universal Studios. The film stars Melissa Barrera, and it is directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. This isn’t the first time Barrera has worked with the directing duo, as she previously made the fifth and sixth entries of the “Scream” franchise with them. The film focuses on a group of criminals who kidnap a young girl for ransom just to find out that she is a vampire. During its opening weekend, the film brought in 10 million dollars domestically and 15 million dollars worldwide.
Josie is a concession stand worker at the Water Tower Cinema in Montgomerville, Pennsylvania, and from what she’s seen, she believes that Abigail “is bringing in a decent size crowd.”
The film scored a 7.1/10 on IMDB, an 88% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, and an 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. I believe that the movie was pretty good overall. The film had a strong first two acts, especially for a horror film. The cast were all good in their roles and the film established the characters well. Alisha Weir, the young girl who played Abigail, was impressive for her age and pulled off the complex emotions and dual personalities that the role needed. High school student Brady Bennett saw Abigail and thought, “The vampire was a really good actor for her age.” The movie also built up intrigue, and the plot was more unique than most modern-day horror movies that hit theaters. Olpin and Gillett did a really solid job directing, and the movie had some really nice cinematography throughout, but especially in the opening scene, where there is a visually appealing ballet number. The film also has a good soundtrack to go along with it.
The film has some scarier elements and there was a lot of blood, but most of the horror comes from jumpscares. The film has a heavy focus on vampires, so there are quite a few scenes where characters get bit or stabbed with wood or metal stakes. The film is rated R, so it is definitely not for children, but for a horror movie, it is about what you would expect going into it. There are no extra graphic or violent scenes that people need to know about and get prepared for before heading to see the movie.
The film does have some weaker elements that bring it down a little bit. The film sort of falls apart during the third act and falls into the same tropes that a lot of horror movies suffer from. Instead of just finishing the story that all the momentum has been building to, the film tries to throw in multiple last-minute plot twists. Multiple characters act out of character, and because of that, the final battle is confusing, and the ending doesn’t make much sense.
I enjoyed Abigail for the most part. There were many good elements, and the cast really did a good job with the characters. While I wouldn’t consider it a new classic, and despite the third act falling flat, I think Abigail was pretty fun, and I would recommend it if you are a horror fan or just want a fun time at the movies.
Sources:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27489557/ratings/?ref_=tt_ov_rt
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/abigail_2024
https://www.universalpictures.com/movies/abigail
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4574440/
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1405398/
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10341836/
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2825058/
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1105980/
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0243806/
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3783307/
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002064/
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0328828/
