Mikes Film Talk

Abigail sort of proves that the first bite is the deepest. This tale of a vampire ballerina, written by Stephen Shields and Guy Busick and directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett mixes kidnapping with horror.

And not a little very dark humour. The cast is solid and help move this story on quite admirably. Abigail is a must see. If for no other reason than the Rat Pack reference. Picking out the druggie to be Dean was brilliant. *Side note: In real life Dean Martin was not someone who over drank.*

Synopsis

A small group of five “villains” kidnap a 12 year old girl; Abigail. She is a ballerina rehearsing, or just practicing, Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. After she finishes, the group take the youngster to an undisclosed location and meet up with Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito). He is the man who set up the abduction.

The Story

These disparate criminals soon learn that the kid they grabbed; Abigail (Alisha Weir), is no “prima ballerina.” And this “tiny dancer” turns out to be a full fledged vampire. Her abductors are now trapped in the house with this dangerous creature that they are not equipped to handle.

The Players

Standing Out

In Abigail Melissa Barrera, who became a final girl courtesy of the Scream franchise revamp (pun intended), shows she learned those horror movie lessons very well. Kevin Durand, who became a personal favorite after Wild Hogs, shows once again that he can become that lovable muscle. Effortlessly.

Dan Stevens, that Croydon born lad from Downton Abbey, makes a very passable former detective. Kathryn Newton, who took the place of Ant-Man’s daughter, shines nicely as the white collar crime kid.

The late Angus Cloud does very well as “Dean” and the small cameos of both Esposito and Matthew Goode (Stoker, The Imitation Game) are outstanding to say the least.

William Catlett provides his gravitas to the proceedings as per usual.

Because its always got to be blood

Abigail is like so many other films dealing monsters. Players being thrust into the world of fangs and blood means that rules do not apply The little group go over their useless vampire lore

There is a lot of blood and gore here. We will not go into descriptions but suffice to say, the directors here almost match Takashi Miike and his propensity to spill gallons of the stuff. There are quite a few wince-worthy scenes so be advised. This is, after all, a vampire film. So of course blood and gore are the rule of the day. It is done very well.

After one of the characters explodes in a sea of blood and viscera a chain worn around their neck can be spied on the floor. Kudos to the FX department and the props folks.

It’s a wrap

Abigail is a full 5 star effort. It is entertaining and while the characters may well be a bit on the 2 dimensional side, the whole thing works. The camera work is spot on and the editing fits everything together nicely. Catch it at the cinema or via streaming. It is well worth the price of admission this one.

Make no mistake, however, Abigail is Alisha Weir’s film. She owns this one hands down.

Trailer