Abigail (Mini-Review)

Abigail is a reimagining of the 1936 movie Dracula's Daughter. Six criminals kidnap a little girl in order to extort money from her father. But things quickly reveal themselves to be something else entirely. Not only were they sent to the slaughter, but all of them are connected to each other. Abigail was released in 2024. It was directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. It stars Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, and Will Catlett.

At the end of the credits you can hear Abigail's laughter.

Even though finding out about the vampire twist in the trailer helped build my interest in the movie, I wish it wasn't there. The movie spends a good amount of time building up the suspense and mystery. It doesn't say it's a vampire movie by the generic premise and fonts during the credits. One of the kidnappers turns up dead and it still doesn't say it's a vampire movie. Only during questioning of Abigail is the truth finally revealed. At least the truth about this being a vampire movie.

I like that this movie decides to fully embrace vampire culture and lore. When Abigail is revealed to be a vampire, discussion includes a bunch of different types of vampires. Each vampire has its own strengths and weaknesses, after all. Such as how you kill a Twilight vampire is completely different than how you kill an Anne Rice vampire. There's also no judgment on what type of vampire is the best. So if you like Twilight, like me, you aren't targeted.

There is so much blood in this movie. Each time a vampire dies they explode like a blood bath bomb. So by the end there is blood everywhere. It's a great way to add too much blood within reason. So wounds don't tend to bleed more than they normally do. Yet the set is drowning in blood by the end. I checked the IMDB trivia and most of it was about all the blood.

Vampire powers aren't learned upon turning. You have to learn and practice them to do all the cool stuff. Such as at one point Abigail bites someone and is able to control her victim. It is a cool and fun scene. I'm into mind control so I was full of conflicting emotions. It was funny as the moment is so absurd. Why is Abigail dancing through another's body? It is also scary as the person was so scared of possibly turning and now their mind is gone but their body remains.

I would highly recommend Abigail to those looking for a fun blood soaked horror movie. I would also highly recommend Abigail to those seeking a vampire movie.