Abigail

This was FKN fun. [spoiler] funny as hell & exploding vampires!!!!!! [/spoiler]. You'll enjoy this alot.

I haven't seen a movie with such good plot, effects and acting lately. It was amazing. The last scene was a little weird but okay. As every good thing has an end, we have come to the end of this beautiful thing. Thank you for your efforts, it was legendary.

Boy did this one catch me by surprise! I absolutely loved watching 'Abigail'! An unexpected gem!

I knew nothing pre-watch aside from that it was classed, on Wikipedia at least, as horror, so was simply expecting the usual fare à la 'Imaginary' and/or 'Immaculate' (former bad, latter good fwiw). Clearly, what I in fact saw knocked my socks off! I had a tremendous amount of fun with every second of this, it's unsettling as it is amusing... every department did a grand job!

Not even sure where to start with my list of many positives. Alisha Weir is the star of the whole thing, what an utterly brilliant performance from the youngster - so damn convincing, particularly early on. Melissa Barrera is also outstanding, I previously found her fairly forgettable in 'Scream' but here I undeniably liked watching her act. Dan Stevens (another I've found 'meh' elsewhere) impresses as well, as does Kathryn Newton. Heck, everyone onscreen is great.

I love how they showed the bloody (and the blood in general) body implosions, great use of (I assume) practical and special effects - proper thrilled me each time. I was happy to see the film get straight into the plot too, no messing about. It does a good job after that opening portion in setting up the characters before the mess truly hits the fan, which is when the movie seriously clicks into gear. Everything from that point on was an absolute blast - quite literally, eh?!

Going back to that opening few scenes, I was actually a touch concerned when it went from the initial fun escape to a one-location dynamic; I thought that was going to slow it down and make it more in keeping with the vibes of those two earlier 2024 movies that I noted at the top of my review. However, each moment in that one location is fantastic to watch, I have zero complaints. It's all paced to perfection!

Almost stunned at how much I enjoyed this, probably because I wasn't expecting anything from it. Looking at my ratings I've just now realised that I weirdly haven't got a favourite horror movie. According to the Letterboxd sort, I haven't even rated any films from this genre at anything above 9/10 - and even with that score it's only nine flicks, none of which I strongly adore. An unnoticed blind spot in my taste is evidently no longer.

The reviews for this seem generally favourable (at worst), which is nice to see. I've seen many online in agreement with me, what a ride! Not that it needs stating, but I'd highly recommend you check this one out!

I'm not into the whole vampire genre in general but this is an awesome exception.
What a captivating and fully entertaining movie. Funny horror with some gore blood scenes but without giving horror vibes. Also i'm with people saying that the trailer gives too much, i didn't want that on the trailer.

Excellent funny moments, the monologue of the girl explains the whole gathering was awesome, in general the interaction between the gang and Abigail was unique and very funny. This is the type of movie a "maybe-horror" fans want. Of course it is not scary but is wildly fun to watch.

And having Joey running with a tight top is helping a lot!

I knew what this film was about, but I had no idea how great the cast was or how fun of a ride this would be! Genuinely, a blast! It is bloody and dark humor, just like all great vampire content should be.

Rating: 4.5/5 - 90% - Highly Recommend

I like horrors but don't usually like vampires in stories, It's because I mostly think that vampire stories are super cheesy but that's coming from the books or films I've already consumed, (Vampire Diaries, Twilight, A Discovery of Witches) This was nothing like those other vampire stories, this was dark, this was gory, this was thrilling.

Alisha Weir, (who made her film debut last year in Tim Minchin's Matilda) returns once again to a titular role. This time, as a young 12 year-old ballerina/vampire. She absolutely scared me in this film with her expressions and her breathy dialect and delivery.

When we look at the setting and the way it was filmed, the setting wasn't anything unique. An abandoned house, pretty standard for a horror film wouldn't you say? But the way it was filmed is what truly drew me in. One piece of cinematography and editing that stood out to me is the parallels between Sammy and Abigail in the dance scene in the latter half of the film. As this is showing Sammy transitioning into a vampire I love how they chose to cut between Sammy and Abigail showing what type of person Sammy was turning into.

The acting overall was quite good and actors managed to pull if an edge of mysterious. I wasn't really fussed on the acting from the guy who played Dean. I found it dry and one-dimensional, however luckily I didn't have to put up with it for that long.

My main gripe with this movie, (the reason I'm docking a star) is I felt the final ten minutes was repetitive. I swear that Abigail died at least 4 or 5 times in this short period but she just kept coming back to life. I know it's a fantasy but this gave me no real sense of urgency. However I loved how at the end of this movie they tied back in the idea of the pinky promise between Joey and Abigail to show that there is something human inside Abigail though she may often be deemed as a monster.

Overall, this is a truly thrilling watch but it's not for the faint of heart. If you want a film that may keep you up at night then Abigail is the one for you.

Despite being one of those movies that gave away way too much in the trailer. Knowing most of the twists “from the trailer.” Abigail was still a really good time. With a star making performance by Alisha Weir as Abigail.

[spoiler]This is one of the best vampire movies in recent years.[/spoiler]

3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Abigail’:

1. Wow, that young actress has quite the acting chops! Who knew ballet-dancing vampires could be so creepy? She was fantastic.

2. I felt like the group picked up on the “vampire” thing a liiiiiiittle too quickly lol… coming from someone who went in blind and didn’t know what she was right away. But she was indeed a vamp, and I appreciated the fairly unpredictable and clever take on the mythology here.

3. I love Dan Stevens, and even more so since he’s alllllll up in the horror genre! But why does he always play such a dick? Lol.

I should have never doubted Radio Silence, these guys deliver, always.