Abigail: Bloodbath With Sufficiently High Stakes To Keep You On Your Toes |
Abigail's premise was clear from the get-go: 'Come watch the tiny ballerina butcher a bunch of unfortunate meatbags. Oh, and it's going to be hilarious!' Harsh Pareek reviews. |
CHILDREN are usually not very nice. In fact, they might be some of the most cruel sadists you have to deal with in your time. Some would go as far as to say that every child has a demon inside them which sucks the life out of you. Be that as it may, today we are here to discuss things less in metaphors and generalisations and more in specific instances of getting your life juices sucked out of you by a little monster, literally.
Abigail boasts a fun little premise of a group of criminals kidnapping a teenage ballet dancer — unbeknownst to them that she is the daughter of notorious crime lord Kristof Lazaar — in order to obtain a ransom of $50 million. Hunkered down in a secluded Wilhelm Manor for 24 hours before they get paid, they soon begin to be killed off one by one, only to discover to their increasing horror, that they are locked inside with no ordinary girl.
Well, if you think this is a bit too much information for a synopsis and even a little spoiler-y, here — she's a vampire (dun dun duuun!), and you must be living under a rock. And herein lies one of the curiosities of the film, which we'll quickly jump into before getting to the main event itself. |
Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who are no strangers to horror and thrillers set in closed off spaces — having previously worked together on projects like Ready or Not and a couple of Scream films — bring the whole bag of tricks to their goriest outing yet. For reasons, though, the vampire element was let out of the bag from the get-go. Every trailer — even the film poster — made sure you had no doubts whatsoever about the goings-on: come watch the tiny ballerina butcher a bunch of unfortunate meatbags. Oh, and it's gonna be hilarious! YOU MAY LIKE | Child's Play: How Horror's Creepiest Toys Channel Human Fears
Now all that was left for you was to go through the motions. Because there are no other major twists or turns the film has under its sleeve. Don't get me wrong, it's turns out to be an entertaining exercise in shifting perspective from what-might-be-going-on spookiness and suspense to how-many-buckets-of-blood-per-character campy fun. But it begs the question: what if the marketing had kept the big reveal under wraps? How would it have all played out if everyone had gone in blind? Would that have elevated the film to a greater critical or commercial (even cult) success? Then again, would as many people have gone in to watch it unless they knew the exact nature of twisted carnage they were in for? And what does it say about the current state of the industry, the genre and the mainstream audience in the age of streaming? All good questions to sink one's teeth into, but for now, let's get back to the matter at hand, the Grand Guignol Home Alone. |
Alisha Weir plays the titular Abigail, a centuries-old vampire with the appearance of a 12-year-old and a knack for dramatics. Previously the star of the acclaimed Matilda the Musical, the young actor seizes her horror turn here with flair. More generally, for a particular by-the-numbers genre flick, the film boasts a pretty decent cast, even if the characters themselves might not be that inspired. Stream the latest movies and shows with OTTplay Premium's Jhakaas monthly pack, for only Rs 249
Melissa Barrera is Joey, a military medic, a recovering addict, a mother, and clearly the one we must be cheering for. Dan Stevens is Frank, a corrupt former police detective, obviously up to no good. Will Catlett is Rickles, a Marine sniper we should care for, but not sure exactly why. Kathryn Newton is Sammy, a wealthy, thrill-seeking hacker with the best screen presence besides the murderous child. Kevin Durand is Peter, a physically imposing former mob goon and the one to bring method-acting to this house of horrors. And Angus Cloud (who sadly passed away before the release of the film), plays Dean, a sociopathic getaway driver, rounding up our little group of no gooders. Not to mention, Giancarlo Esposito and Matthew Goode, who also make an appearance for good measure. |
As mentioned earlier, just like the manor's new guests, the film does not have anywhere to go beyond the declared, but thankfully, it doesn't waste much time pretending otherwise. The ball drops reasonably quick, and then it's all about the checkbox “tensions” of if anyone can make it out alive, who “deserves” to live, who dies in which order (and how), but perhaps most importantly in this case, how hard the film wants to go on its R rating. And (ironically) without spoiling too much, it gets pretty… explosive. Even the humour manages to stick for the most part. A little rudimentary, but still in step with the film's overall tune.
As for the one silent, ever looming character, the manor itself — while it can never quite shake off the “set” feeling, its Resident Evil-ish atmosphere provides a dynamic playground for the macabre ballet.
So where does all this bloody mess leave us? Well, despite all its promotional quirks and plot conventionalism, at the end of the day Abigail manages to get its basic choreography right — good casting, guts-spilling action, and an unapologetic you-get-exactly-what-you-order quality. For a splatter horror comedy featuring a creepy child vampire, it knows what it is, and plays its cards accordingly. If you are a fan of the genre, or just morbidly curious, this has the potential to be a fun late-night treat, with the potential of even giving you a couple of nightmares. Abigail is streaming on Prime Video. |
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