Inspired by the 1936 film, Dracula’s Daughter, horror directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett bring to us their latest horror flick, Abigail. The film stars Alisha Weir as the titular character, who’s best known for her role as Matilda Wormwood in the 2022 hit Netflix film, Matilda the Musical. Her performance as Abigail is a big change from her past roles and her chance to show her diverse range as an actress. Abigail is ready to feast and is now showing in cinemas worldwide.

A group of six criminals were recruited to kidnap a little girl named Abigail for a $50 million ransom from her rich father. Until they receive that money, they must hold her captive in a mansion, but soon they begin to experience supernatural events. When they learn that Abigail is the daughter of a powerful underworld figure, some try to leave immediately believing their lives aren’t worth risking $50 million but find themselves trapped in the mansion with no way out. Things become even worse when Abigail is revealed to be no ordinary little girl, but a centuries-old vampire ready to feed.

Despite being the darkest character, Alisha Weir shines brightest as Abigail. She starts off as sweet, innocent, and unassuming, but it’s not long until she reveals her true self. She plays mind games with the kidnappers, which causes trust issues among them. At any moment, she could just kill them all, but she likes to play with her food. Alisha is no stranger to dancing scenes and with Abigail being a highly skilled ballerina, she gets plenty of chances to grace the screen. It’s even more amazing knowing that Alisha did a lot of the creepy dancing scenes herself.

Seeing a girl portraying a 12-year-old dancing in a blood-stained ballet outfit creates an unsettling feeling, something this movie does so well. It wasn’t that long ago we saw Alisha Weir in the modern adaptation of the famous children’s novel, Matilda by Roald Dahl, which was also her breakthrough role. Going from the sweet and innocent Matilda to the bloodthirsty Abigail is a huge leap and shows her diverse acting range. Currently only 14 years old, Alisha has a big future ahead of her.

Also starring in the film are Melissa Barrera as Joey, Dan Stevens as Frank, Kathryn Newton as Sammy, William Catlett as Rickles, Kevin Durand as Peter, and Angus Cloud as Dean, who all make up the kidnappers. Angus Cloud sadly passed away in July 2023 at age 25, almost a year before this film’s release, which pays tribute to him in the end credits. Giancarlo Esposito also appears as Lambert, the man who recruited the team of criminals, each with a different field of expertise.

Each member of the team has a unique personality, which also brings out the comedic side of the movie. Rickles is a skilled sniper and the most serious of the group, Sammy is the computer expert with a ditzy attitude, Peter is the muscle of the group who lacks intelligence and has a short temper, and Dean seems to be under the influence and is the least useful of the team. The standouts among them are Frank and Joey.

Dan Stevens portrays Frank as the most arrogant and outspoken and displays some leadership skills, even though he’s clearly in it for himself and has ulterior motives. Joey is the most sympathetic of the team and cares for Abigail, promising she won’t let anyone hurt her. They develop a mutual understanding with each other after Joey reveals she has a child of her own, but of course, things change after she sees the real Abigail. Melissa Barrera’s performance of Joey helps her become the film’s antiheroine and the one that audiences begin rooting for and want to see survive.

All the criminals show genuine fear after they realise who they’re up against. This movie has a few good jump scares but doesn’t rely on it as much as other horror films. It focuses more on the gore, providing plenty of thrills and blood spills. It’s clear to see how much fun Abigail is having by toying around with her victims before making the kill, which only heightens tensions between everyone. Abigail is not a movie for anyone with a weak stomach as ripped flesh, broken bones, litres of blood, and plenty of guts will be spread out everywhere.

Even the mansion itself has some dark secrets with horrifying sights. It’s even worse with Abigail knowing everything about it and using it to her advantage to trap the criminals and scare them psychologically, much to her amusement. The majority of the film is set in an old mansion full of antiques, old furniture, damaged walls, and more, which adds to the creepy, eerie atmosphere of the film. In a way, it becomes one big playground for the little ballerina vampire.

The film’s soundtrack was composed by Brian Tyler, who has an impressive resume of big films. The biggest highlight of the music is the use of the famous classical song from 1877, Swan Lake by legendary Russian composer, Tchaikovsky. Swan Lake has been a staple for ballet performances since the late 1800s, which makes it a very fitting song for Abigail. Whenever the song plays, Abigail dances in tune to the music while feasting on her victims and doesn’t miss a single step. The song itself already has a powerful feel to it and to hear it while watching Abigail performing ballet moves in a tutu stained red and blood dripping from her mouth creates a horrifying and unsettling sight. Abigail is not someone who’ll be forgotten anytime soon.

The only minor complaint about the film would be that the plot twist was already given away in the trailers, but it’s also the film’s major selling point, so it couldn’t be avoided. Abigail is truly a unique horror film that stands out on its own. In a way, it kind of brings in elements from 90s horror flicks that we don’t see in modern movies, mainly the use of a famous classical song that works perfectly with the action on screen.

Not enough can be said about Alisha Weir’s talents. She had an unforgettable performance as Matilda Wormwood, making that character her own, and she creates another as Abigail, dancing to Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake as she toys with and lays waste to her victims. The sight of an innocent-looking ballerina vampire covered in blood will not be forgotten anytime soon. At first, you’ll feel sorry for her, but soon she’ll become your worst nightmare. Ready to perform and ready to feast, Abigail is a must-watch horror film for 2024.

Written by: Sammy Hanson