Abigail (USA, 2024)

Abigail is another film I’ve been saving for this year’s October Horror Movie Challenge. It sounded like the sort of action-heavy bloodfest I need to keep my energy up at this stage of the month. While I do enjoy sombre, thoughtful horror, there is a lot to be said for some exuberant carnage.

It can be hard to know when to avoid spoilers in these reviews. While the big reveal in Abigail was mentioned in all the publicity and appears in its trailer, the film itself seems to think we should be surprised when it tips its hand. I’m not going to be shy about discussing this reveal, as it’s tricky to talk about what makes the film interesting without doing so. If you have somehow avoided spoilers until now and want to continue to do so, go and watch the film before reading any further. You’ll probably enjoy it.

For everyone else, let’s get into it.

Abigail is currently available for sale in the UK.

Synopsis

A crew of career criminals, all strangers to each other, are hired to kidnap a twelve-year-old girl named Abigail. The plan is to ransom Abigail back to her wealthy father. Everything goes smoothly as they drug her and take her to the safe house provided by their employer. This turns out to be a creepy old manor in the middle of nowhere.

When the girl comes round, one of the crew — a former army medic using the code name “Joey” — checks in on her. Abigail tells Joey that her father won’t pay any ransom, and she apologises for what will happen to the crew. It turns out that her father is a crime lord, notorious for his brutality. Once Joey shares this news, the crew start to freak out.

The tension ramps up when they discover the headless body of one of their number in the kitchen. As if that weren’t bad enough, automatic shutters and security doors lock into place, trapping everyone inside the mansion. The crew discover to their horror that Abigail is not what she seems, and she is now stalking them through the house for sport.

General Thoughts

Abigail was marketed as comedy horror, although I’m not entirely sure I’d agree. Some of the characters are played for laughs, and there is a bit of absurdity, but it’s not a particularly funny film. What it has, however, is energy. Once the film gets moving, it bounces from scene to scene, dragging us along for the ride.

The cast is terrific, from Dan Stevens’ slimy performance as Frank to Kevin Durand being a loveable lunkhead who is happy to do terrible things. A lot rests on Alisha Weir as Abigail herself, and she largely delivers. Her ability to switch from frightened little girl to psychopathic predator is impressive, although her monstrous side is less convincing. Some of that may just be because a child-sized vampire ballerina is scarier as an idea than a visual. Even so, she does manage to be menacing on occasion.

Giving the crew code names from the Rat Pack was cute. It felt like a nod to the kind of thing Tarantino would do without being a total pastiche.

Verdict

There is nothing terribly original about Abigail. It uses elements we’ve seen in other horror films, like the innocent child who is secretly a monster, the mansion being one big trap, and a crime thriller that suddenly tips over into gory horror. The way it combines these elements is a lot of fun, however, and the result is a bloody, entertaining romp. There are one or two welcome surprises in the final act, although this isn’t really the kind of film you watch hoping to be surprised.

It does take a while for Abigail to show its teeth. The build-up to the horror is slow, but it’s not dull. It’s compelling enough as a crime movie, and the character interactions are a lot of fun. Once it does get going, however, it doesn’t skimp on the blood, although some of the scenes of Abigail toying with her prey get a little samey.

The best way to judge whether this is a film for you would probably be how much you liked From Dusk to Dawn. While Abigail is perhaps a less anarchic film, they share a lot of DNA. And, ultimately, who doesn’t enjoy watching a pint-size vampire tearing through a crew of hardened criminals?

If you’re in the mood for something gory, playful, and not too scary this Halloween, Abigail may be just the dance partner for you.

The October Horror Movie Challenge

Please do join in and share your own thoughts with us about this or any other films as the month goes on. You can usually find us on BlueSky, Reddit, Discord, or lurking in the dark corners of your home.

If you would like to play along at home, my provisional selections are:

Heretic (USA, 2024)
The Sadness (Taiwan, 2021)
The Uninvited (USA, 1944)
The Lodge (UK/USA, 2019)
WolfCop (Canada, 2014)
Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (Czechoslovakia, 1970)
The Monkey (USA, 2025)
Sister Midnight (India/UK, 2024)
Roadgames (Australia, 1981)
Nightmare City (Italy, 1985)
Dangerous Animals (Australia, 2025)
Dead Talents Society (Taiwan, 2024)
Winterbeast (USA, 1992)
Byzantium (UK/Ireland, 2013)
The Ugly Stepsister (Norway, 2025)
A Page of Madness (Japan, 1926)
Heart Eyes (USA, 2025)
Grafted (New Zealand, 2024)
Arrebato (Spain, 1979)
Hatching (Finland, 2022)
Abigail (USA, 2024)
Ganja & Hess (USA, 1973)
The Devil’s Bath (Austria, 2025)
Pieces (Spain, 1982)
Infested (France, 2023)
Best Wishes to All (Japan, 2022)
A Cat in the Brain (Italy, 1990)
Enys Men (UK, 2022)
Creature From the Black Lagoon (USA, 1954)
Perewangan (Indonesia, 2024)
Bring Her Back (Australia, 2025)

A Final Note

If you have been enticed here by these posts, please do look around at some of our other film reviews. We also have a podcast, called The Good Friends of Jackson Elias, which occasionally covers horror films. If this appeals, you might want to check out some of the following episodes.