Horror comedy Abigail is done in by its own marketing ...
CINEMA SCOPE
Starring: Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Alisha Weir, Kathryn Newton, Will Catlett, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud, and Giancarlo Esposito
Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
There’s a fairly fun twist in Abigail. It arrives around halfway into the movie and flips the script, turning the tables and upping the ante.
Except it’s not much of a twist at all, given that it’s literally all over the movie’s own marketing. It’s in the trailer, it’s on the poster, it’s in the tagline. And all you can do while you watch the film is wish it wasn’t.
The horror comedy revolves around a group of kidnappers who abduct the young daughter of a powerful underworld figure in the hopes of getting millions in ransom, but soon realize that they might have made a huge mistake. With their own lives now at stake, the kidnappers discover that something sinister is afoot. A vampire is in their midst and the criminals are on the menu.
It’s the identity of the aforementioned vampire that should have come as a surprise to viewers, but the film’s trailer chooses to reveal this secret (in considerable detail), and in giving away its main conceit ends up draining much of the movie’s suspense.
It’s understandable that filmmakers and studios want to make every effort to lure audiences to cinemas, but that does not mean they should spoil the actual cinematic experience for the viewers. In the case of Abigail, the filmmakers could have either chosen not to spend nearly half the running time just getting to a reveal that the viewers already know is coming, or the promoters could have taken a different approach and kept the identity of the assailant a secret.
If you manage to avoid its marketing and go in blind though, you will probably enjoy the twists and turns the story takes. Abigail is a serviceable horror vehicle with some humour thrown in for good measure (although the film never fully embraces the comedy element as much as it could have) and the project clearly had a considerable budget for fake blood!
The cast is committed to the campy ridiculousness unfolding around them. Kathryn Newton – who portrays one of the criminals – stands out, as she often does in her projects; it’s fun to see Giancarlo Esposito – as the mastermind of the kidnapping scheme – in a vampire flick, even if you’re left wishing he was given more screentime; and Alisha Weir – who plays the titular Abigail – is definitely a star in the making.
All in all, the less you know about its story, the more likely you are to enjoy Abigail. It’s a silly, gory horror flick that takes a while to get going and drags in spots but delivers enough zany fun to appease fans of the genre.
Rating: 3 out of 5
