Probably the most enjoyment will be taken from Abigail by those who go is knowing very little about the plot line. If you’ve seen the trailer then that won’t matter as it gives away pretty much everything about the story. It’s also a difficult film to review without some spoilers, so beware.
Reboot seems to be a word Universal Pictures like to use when they trawl back through their catalogue of films looking for something to regurgitate for a modern audience. Tom Cruise outing in 2017 in The Mummy, from the same studio, was touted as a reboot. Thankfully Abigail is better than that one of the worst Tom Cruise films ever.
Abigail, which is based on the 1936 Universal Classic Monsters Film Dracula’s Daughter, sees a group of kidnappers capturing Abigail (Alisha Weir), the daughter of a powerful underworld figure from whom they demand a $50 million ransom.
Taking her to a disserted mansion, and as they start to get knocked off in various gruesome ways, the kidnappers (Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, Angus Cloud, Kevin Durand and William Catlett) start to realise that Abigail might not be as innocent and defensive as they first thought.
Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett ramp up the gore to the max with exploding and decapitated bodies peppering the runtime. Mixed in with the gore is a smattering of comedy, a scene where the kidnappers try and use ways to kill a vampire that they’ve seen in films being one of the highlights.
Abigail won’t be for everyone, it doesn’t take its horror too seriously and it’s probably 20 minutes too long. The final scene seems to go on for ever.
There’s been a few horrors released over the last couple of months and whilst Abigail might not be a classic it’s certainly a lot more fun than The First Omen and Immaculate.
