Film Review: Abigail 血滴姬 (2024) - USA
Rating: 7/10
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Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critics Circle of Australia)
"Abigail," the latest offering from the directorial duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (known for their work on “Ready or Not” and the recent “Scream” reboots), is a film that wears its genre influences proudly on its blood-soaked sleeve. It’s a vampire flick with a twist, blending dark humor, gore, and a dash of psychological tension into a cocktail that’s equal parts entertaining and uneven. While it doesn’t quite reach the heights of its predecessors, it’s a solid entry in the horror-comedy canon, even if it occasionally stumbles under the weight of its own ambitions.
The premise is simple yet effective: a group of amateur criminals kidnaps a young girl named Abigail (Alisha Weir), only to discover that she’s not an ordinary child but a centuries-old vampire with a penchant for carnage. What follows is a night of chaos as the kidnappers become the hunted, trapped in a sprawling mansion that feels like a character in its own right. The film’s strength lies in its ability to balance tension with levity, delivering moments of genuine terror alongside laugh-out-loud absurdity.
Alisha Weir delivering a performance that is both chilling and oddly endearing. Her transformation from an innocent-looking child to a feral, bloodthirsty predator is a highlight. The supporting cast, including Melissa Barrera and Dan Stevens, does solid work, though their characters often feel underdeveloped, serving more as cannon fodder than fully realized individuals. Barrera, in particular, brings a grounded presence to the chaos, while Stevens hams it up with the kind of over-the-top bravado that the genre demands.
The film’s pacing is brisk, with little time wasted on unnecessary exposition. The directors clearly understand the importance of keeping the audience on edge, and the set pieces are inventive and gruesome, showcasing a level of creativity that horror fans will appreciate. However, the film’s reliance on genre tropes can feel repetitive at times, and the script occasionally struggles to maintain its tonal balance, veering too far into camp when a bit more restraint might have served the story better.
Visually, “Abigail” is a treat. The mansion’s gothic architecture and shadowy interiors create a suitably eerie atmosphere, and the cinematography by Aaron Morton (known for his work on “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”) is both stylish and functional, capturing the chaos with a kinetic energy that keeps the audience engaged. The practical effects are particularly impressive, with the vampire transformations and gory set pieces feeling visceral and real in a way that CGI often fails to achieve.
Where “Abigail” falters is in its emotional core. While the film is undeniably fun, it lacks the deeper thematic resonance that could have elevated it from a good horror-comedy to a great one. The characters’ backstories feel tacked on, and the attempts at moral ambiguity come across as half-baked. The film’s final act, while thrilling, leans too heavily on spectacle at the expense of narrative cohesion, leaving the audience with a sense of exhilaration but little else.
In the end, “Abigail” is a film that knows exactly what it is and doesn’t try to be anything more. It’s a bloody, chaotic ride that delivers on its promise of thrills and laughs, even if it doesn’t linger in the mind long after the credits roll. (Neo, 2025)