REVIEW: Abigail

(Note: some room temperature spoilers lie within)

The last couple of years has shown a bit of a resurgence of the vampire genre, and has taken some fresh new takes on the classic formulas. 

Dracula in particular has shown quite a bit of range, between Renfield and The Last Voyage Of The Demeter. Now, 2024's Abigail, touches on yet another widely unexplored aspect of Drac  -- fatherhood.

But hang on, that's not really what the film is about. Reminiscent of the Rodriguez classic, From Dusk Till Dawn, Abigail uses the V word as more of a second act surprise than anything else.

A series of heavies have been assembled to pull off the kidnapping of a high profile underworld figure for a hefty ransom. The team features the standard cliches, they include the former addict who wants her baby back, the dumb brute, the military hardass, the cold douchebag, the ditzy blonde, and the waste case who ends up a waste case. 

After the successful abduction of young ballerina Abigail, the sneaky six hole up in a decrepit mansion, with their target tied up in a bedroom.

What starts as a pretty solid crime picture, quickly turns to survival horror, as their entire heist turns out to be a big snare to trap some would-be victims, which works splendidly.

The obvious inspiration here would have to be 1936's "Dracula's Daughter", with splashes of From Dusk Till Dawn and House On Haunted Hill.

The acting here is exceptional, considering the characters are pretty much as cliched as I gets. Scream-alum Melissa Barrera continues to cement her as not only a horror darling, but a very solid lead. Cult faves Giancarlo Esposito and Kevin Durand shine in their appearances, and the late Angus Cloud provides a hell of a performance, which feels far too authentic for comfort. Young performer Alisha Weir handles the complexities of her character to perfection.

While the film does stumble into a few horror trope pitfalls (the chief being the "let's split up" move), it does a terrific job of being mostly fresh.

One vampire idea that is seldomly explored is the idea of a bite victim becoming a puppet extension of its maker, rather than an independent creature of its own personality. I love the use in which it's employed in this. There is a ballerina scene which is particularly amusing and haunting.

The final act starts to stray a bit from the earlier tones used in the film. There is a particular sequence involving a character becoming a fresh undead that is far too dragged out, and a little goofy. Barrera and company keep the bus on the road, but it definitely loses some of the steam from the first few acts.

Vampire movies are so touch and go, and it's even harder to come across one that someone reaches new heights of the genre. Abigail is definitely not here to revitalize the mythos, but is a worthy and entertaining entry. Drac should be proud.

HORR SCORE - The scares are pretty subtle. The creepy mansion locale offers lots in feelings of dread and claustrophobia. Plus hungry vampires. 

GORE SCORE - Once the ahem, dinner is served, Abigail delivers some nice, bloody goods. More than one jug of fake blood was killed in the line of making this movie happen. Plus hungry vampires.