The trailers are sadly very heavy on spoilers, so if you’ve seen them you most likely can guess what the reveal in the first half is, but regardless there’s a good build of suspense as we’re introduced to our key players, who’ve all been sent to a mansion by Giancarlo Esposito with the job of babysitting a young girl called Abigail, played by the amazing child star Alisha Weir. This role is definitely a far cry from her previous starring role as Matilda, but she is really phenomenal here, and it’s great to see her holding her own against a cast of adults.
Kathryn Newton is continuing to play to her strengths after her role in Lisa Frankenstein, new scream queen Melissa Barrera is brilliant and gets a lot to do both emotionally and on the comedic side, and the late Angus Cloud even shows up for a bit, although his character is easily the least interesting out of the ensemble, a shame for what sadly ended up being one of his last roles.
The film has enough tank-loads of fake blood to rival that of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead films
They’re not exactly three-dimensional characters, but they’re likeable and diverse enough to work in this big dumb horror setting, and Abigail certainly delivers on that front. The film has enough tank-loads of fake blood to rival that of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead films; great use is made of the many rooms and passages in this big mansion, and the line between hammy silly horror and genuine skin-crawling fear is spot on.
Unfortunately the script bogs itself down near the end, where some confusing plot twists and some uninteresting choices threaten to take the fun out of the film. Luckily Abigail manages to pull itself back together and deliver a really fun, silly and bloody climax that lets the audience leave on a high note.
Horror films like this are never going to win awards, but they don’t need to. Horror can be silly and schlocky and disposable and, while Abigail has its issues, it delivers the goods and I had a great time with it.