‘Abigail’ Review: Radio Silence Does It Again

Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the duo that make up part of the production company Radio Silence, have returned to bring us another horror film that will become all the craze. The easiest way to explain this film is by describing it as ‘Ready or Not meets Vampire’, which I’ll go into later on in this review.

‘Abigail‘ follows a group of would-be criminals who kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure. All they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl.

I’ve never seen a cast within a horror film where each character can hold their own and all have scenes where they are the highlight. This film doesn’t leave anyone behind when it comes to screen time, and though some have less than others, their presence on screen remains memorable. Angus Cloud appears in ‘Abigail‘ in one of his final film roles, and for someone who usually gives off similar performances, he showcases within this film that he has the power to carry a scene and fill a theatre with laughter, and it helps that he has really good chemistry with the rest of the ensemble cast. The ensemble cast might be why this film just simply works; it stars Melissa Barrera, who previously worked with the directing duo on the Scream films, Kathryn Newton, Dan Stevens, Kevin Durand, and William Catlett, and I have a few words to say about each member, so buckle up.

Melissa Barrera, who plays Joey, is just a star who smashes it in these horror roles, and it would be nice to see her do all different types of genres, but it’s safe to say that she’s found her place, whether that’s with the horror genre or just collaborating more with Radio Silence. For someone who wasn’t initially the biggest fan of their performances in prior films, it’s clear that she’s only getting better and better, marking ‘Abigail‘ as one of her strongest performances yet as she sells these moments that relate to her son and backstory.

Dan Stevens feels like a man of many faces, as it always takes me a while to realise it’s him. After just seeing him in Godzilla x Kong, where he plays a very lighthearted character, he plays the complete opposite in ‘Abigail‘, feeling the most mysterious out of the bunch and an honest force to be reckoned with as the film progresses, and while it’s hard to pick a standout among the bunch, he’s one of the clear few who stands apart from the rest of the cast alongside Melissa Barrera and Kathryn Newton. On the topic of Kathryn Newton, ‘Abigail‘ might make a valid case for why this may be the year of Kathryn Newton and horror, as she first appeared in Lisa Frankenstein, which focuses more on the comedy side of things than gore and blood, which ‘Abigail‘ hugely focuses on. She plays Sammy, a hacker who’s only just living her best life before that’s all interrupted. Another character that just brought laughs to the entire theatre without fail There’s a dance sequence that features her and another character, which was just one of the best scenes in the film and kind of captures the entirety of the film quite perfectly—bloody but funny.

Kevin Durand plays Peter, who’s the muscle of the group, and with muscle comes the lack of brain cells, which allows for even more outrageous humour in tense moments where I’m stuck between hiding behind my hands in preparation for a well-timed jump scare or bursting out into laughter. William Catlett plays Rickles, a name that doesn’t fit the character whatsoever, as he’s the most reserved and alert of the team. He doesn’t have as many scene-stealing scenes as the rest of the cast, but there is one moment that will leave audiences shocked as they try to piece together what just happened.

This is a cast that you want to continue spending time with, and even now as I write this review, I miss this wild ragtag bunch of characters that shouldn’t mix as well together as they do. The story keeps their backstory a secret for a good portion of the film before slowly revealing who they are and their place in this whole debacle, a scene that’s written beautifully, fitting each character’s backstory and purpose without making it feel like too much exposition, and to top it off, Alisha Weir is the one to bring this scene to life. From playing Matilda to playing a blood-sucking vampire who uses ballet in her attacks, it was never on my bingo card, but it already showcases the talent that Alisha Weir has and how far she’ll go in the future by having such range at such a young age.

 With the story revolving around vampires, a monster that has almost been used to death, they still manage to make it their own by adding the ballet aspect to ‘Abigail‘ and also having the effect of the sunlight on their skin be different from what it usually is, which I won’t spoil here. This film is nuts and in the best way possible. As mentioned earlier, if you’re a fan of Ready or Not, this film is simply made for you as it takes inspiration from it and uses some of the same elements, and some shots feel like callbacks. This can pose an issue to some people, as it may seem like a lack of creativity or just being plain lazy, but I think for the type of film it is, it just works, and it doesn’t copy any exact plot points, though it isn’t hard to see the connections between the two. Maybe they’re set in the same universe; it could be the only logical explanation, but for now, I’m going to just go with it. The film can also seem quite predictable, which is an issue, as from the start and certain points throughout the film, I was just able to guess plot twists and plot points, but personally, it’s nothing that ever took me out of the experience, and I was still able to have so much fun with the film and enjoy it.

‘Abigail‘ is campy, hilarious, frightening, and vigorously gory in ways you couldn’t possibly imagine. Radio Silence manages to do it again and bring another horror film that has a stellar cast that performs so well that it’s hard to just singularly pick one for their performance. The story may be quite predictable and reminiscent of their previous work, but it never takes away from the constant fun and horror that this film continuously keeps throwing at you. That’s what makes ‘Abigail‘ so special, as it interweaves the comedy with the horror so well and never allows one to drown out the other.

Abigail releases in theaters on April 19.