If I may be so bold; we are experiencing a new Horror Renaissance. The last time Horror achieved this kind of fame and popularity, it was during the late 90s with the release of SCREAM. Before then, horror was a bit stagnant. We had some good hits, sure, but it was becoming a bit repetitive. SCREAM changed that with its unflinching violence and meta commentary. Then we had the rise of so-called “Torture Porn” with SAW and HOSTEL followed by the Remake/Reboot Revolution.
Then, around 2009/2010, we entered a new age of Horror. One that focused more on creative freedom. Leading the charge was Blumhouse Productions – a production studio that focused on lower-budgeted movies in exchange of higher creative freedoms. This method has done wonders for the studio as it produced such blockbusters as the Paranormal Activity, Insidious, and Purge franchises. They also produced some of the last 10 years’ most acclaimed horror movies like The Invisible Man (2020), Get Out (2017), Upgrade (2018), Halloween (2018), and M3GAN (2023).
Then we have MonkeyPaw Productions which co-produced the aforementioned Get Out along with US, (2019), Candyman (2021), and my personal favorite, NOPE (2022).
But it’s not just production companies. We’ve seen a rise of new blood as well. Writer/Directors such as Ari Aster (Midsommer, Hereditary), Robert Eggers (VVITCH, The LightHouse, The Northman), Mike Flannigan (Oculus, Haunting of Hill House, and The Fall of the House of Usher), and James Wan (SAW, Conjuring, Insidious).
Included in this new renaissance is Abigail production/directorial studio Radio Silence. Known for their over-the-top violence and humor (SCREAM, SCREAM VI, Ready or Not), Radio Silence is quickly becoming one of my favorite new studios.
So how did they do with their latest project? Well let’s talk about it and find out. This is our review on Radio Silence’s Abigail.
Story
Abigail is the story of the titular character and her kidnappers. A mysterious man named Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito) hires a crew of six to assist him in finding, and capturing, the daughter of a rich man. The daughter in question is the 12-year-old ballerina Abigail.
The kidnapping goes off without a hitch. They abduct Abigail and deliver her to Lambert. Now, the only thing left for them to do is wait for the ransom. Once paid, they will find themselves 7 million dollars richer.
What the team doesn’t know is that there is more to this mission than meets the eye. Now they must work together if they hope to make it through the night in one piece.
**WARNING SPOILERS FROM HERE ON. IF YOU WISH TO AVOID SPOILERS, PLEASE SCROLL TO OUR CONCLUSION**
REVIEW (SPOILERS)
I do not normally include spoilers in our reviews but Abigail forces my hand. If you have watched the trailers, then you already know what I am about to say. If you haven’t – then this is your final warning.
The trailers (as well as all promotional media) show Abigail for what she truly is. A centuries-old, blood thirsty vampire. One who turns the tables on her kidnappers; turning them into her playthings. As a result, we get an absolutely hilarious bloodbath where a 12-year-old little girl beats the ever living hell out of a group of several able-bodies adults.
It is this kind of absurdity that Radio Silence excels at. We see this in SCREAM VI but more so in what I consider their best movie; Ready or Not. Like Ready or Not, Abigail’s humor stems from the absolute insanity of the situation.
Watching 14-year-old Alisha Weir tearing through a bunch of grownups is a joy to watch. Whether its tossing a 250lb man like a Cabbage Patch doll or dancing ballet while approaching her victims; she is a delight to watch. Seriously; this young actress steals the show with every scene she is in.
But it’s not just Alisha’s performance that sells the movie but the other cast members as well. In lesser hands, Abigail would be the movie’s only highlight. The other characters would be mindless meat-bags who serve little purpose other than padding the body count. With Radio Silence, however, each character is wonderfully fleshed out and developed. Not to say there is some hidden depth in these characters. More like they all have well-written, distinguishable personalities that add to the movie’s overall tone and humor.
One particular scene comes to mind. After learning the truth about Abigail, the surviving members get together to come up with a plan of attack. Using vampires in pop-culture, they devise a series of weapons to either kill, or at the least, subdue Abigail. The leads to some brilliant character moments as they argue over the types of vampires seen in movies and how each movie kills them differently. It’s a fun and smartly written bit of comedy that I truly enjoyed watching.
Of course I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the gore – which this movie has in spades. There is SO MUCH blood in this movie that it makes the elevator scene from The Shining look like a mere puddle. Some of the sets literally get caked with the stuff – a majority of which being done practically which I am all here for.
The action sequences of similar quality. Watching the different characters taking turns beating on, or getting beaten up by, Abigail is entertaining as hell. I don’t know what it is but seeing a 14-year old beating a giant muscle-bound man senseless is just funny to me. It is even funnier when the same man chucks the girl into a wall before running away.
Off the top of my head, I cannot really think of any real flaws that hinder the movie. If anything, all I can say is that it isn’t as funny as their previous movies. I think Ready or Not delivered upon its absurdity better than Abigail does and I also feel like Ready or Not’s higher body count allowed for some more creative and memorable deaths.
Perhaps that is what I am trying to get at. With only 6 criminals and 1 killer, they really couldn’t give us a high enough body count to showcase Abigail’s brutality. After the initial kills, the rest of the movie is more of a cat-and-mouse sequence revolving around the survivors avoiding Abigail while coming up with a means for escape. With Ready or Not, we had a huge cast to take advantage.
I don’t mean to compare the two but with such similar premises, it is hard not too. That said, Abigail still succeeds in its premise; for which I am grateful.
Conclusion
Good horror comedies are hard to come by. I feel like most revolve a silly premise and stick to that premise as their primary source of comedy. The downside to this approach is that the joke wears thin by the third act. You can only repeat the same joke so many times before it gets old.
Then you get those horror comedies that take that silly premise and build upon it. The joke evolves as the movie goes on. Abigail is one of those movies. It could have easily been a generic monster movie with brainless, one-note characters and lots of gore but it instead delivers us some witty banter, intense action sequences, and some pretty damn good acting.
The cast is great – again with Abigail actress Alisha Weir stealing the show – the practical effects are delightfully gory and over-the-top, and the fight scenes entertaining as hell. While not as funny or corpse-filled as Ready or Not, it is still a fun movie for anyone seeking a bloody good time.