Since their breakout hit Ready or Not in 2019, the directing duo of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, better known as Radio Silence, have captured the horror sensibilities of cinephiles, including myself, with the unique and energetic vibe they’ve brought to their projects. Not only was Ready or Not a huge hit, but the duo reinvigorated the Scream franchise with two entries that stand as some of the franchise’s best.
As the duo steps away from the franchise to helm a new original horror flick, it’s no surprise that I was fascinated by the potential of the film; a vampire ballerina? How can someone not be excited? That excitement was met with resounding applause as Radio Silence’s Abigail goes for the jugular as the duo cleverly blends the heist and vampire genres to create a deliciously satisfying feast of blood and guts. Finding an ideal balance of laughs, horror, and camp, this horror house of vamp is a tailor-made horror spectacle. Abigail earns her place as the Prima Ballerina of the horror genre.
Abigail follows 6 unique individuals as they are hired for a heist. What the group didn’t know was they were tasked with kidnapping Abigail, the daughter of a wealthy figure of the underworld. The ultimate goal of this kidnapping is for each individual to be paid $7 million as long as they ensure the safety of Abigail. Unfortunately for the group, this job is met with a swerve as Abigail is not just a 12-year-old girl, but a vampire that’s set to take each person down one by one.
While Stephen Shields and Guy Busick’s screenplay isn’t breaking the mold on the traditional “line them up, take them down” ideologies of a horror film, the duo’s script is able to effectively measure the majority of the twists and turns the film takes and gives them warrant and justified reasoning. The screenplay not only justifies its twists and turns but also blends the comedy through the self-serious nature of all parties involved. This choice leads to some laugh-out-loud moments while fluidly shifting to sheer terror once the stakes are fully explained.
Abigail’s ensemble is star-studded as Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Will Catlett, Kathryn Newton, Kevin Durand as Peter, the late Angus Cloud, and to a lesser extent Giancarlo Esposito each offer their own unique personality to breathe life into what most horror films would be seen as fodder for the killer. Standing out from the ensemble are both Melissa Barrera and Dan Stevens. Barrera continues to show that her performances in In The Heights and the Scream films are no fluke as her charisma jumps off the screen as the film’s nuanced character. It’s safe to say Barrera has cemented herself as one of horror’s gems. Stevens chews the scenery and downright steals scenes throughout the film with his dry and sarcastic delivery.
Speaking of steal, the breakout star of Abigail is the tiny dancer herself, Alisha Weir as Abigail. While Weir’s performance is quite different from her take in Matilda, the actress’s screen presence is undeniable. Blending both the innocence of a 12-year-old girl and the ferociousness of a bloodthirsty vamp, Weir’s performance stands as the best in the film and one of the best child performances within the horror genre in quite some time, if not of all time.
In similar fashion to Radio Silence’s previous films, Abigail earns its R-rating with an over-the-top use of blood that was an utter delight to experience with an audience. Sure, it takes a bit of time to get going, but once the action kicks off, it becomes a relentless array of gnarly kills and blood-soaked delight.
2023 was an overall off year for the horror genre. However, 2024 is off to a rocking start with Immaculate, The First Omen, Late Night with the Devil, and now Abigail. If this is how the first half of 2024 started, I can’t fathom what the rest of the year 2024 has in store.
Abigail certainly captures the horror sensibilities I enjoy, and Radio Silence continues to show why they’re superstars of the genre and a duo that truly understands the essence of creating horror treats for all cinephiles.
