After a group of would-be criminals 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.
A bunch of criminals kidnaps a little girl for ransom and all hell breaks loose after that. Abigail has a basic story we’ve seen a thousand times, but this time they added something interesting to the mix. The story goes a full 180 once you discover what’s really going on. It is entertaining and has some funny moments. It’s almost satiric sometimes but doesn’t go too far. The cast gives decent performances. Dan Stevens and Kevin Durand are the ones who stand out the most. Let’s not forget the last appearance from actor Angus Cloud (Euphoria), may he rest in peace. Abigail has a creative story with good pacing and funny moments. If you want some entertainment tonight, this is a fair choice.
Unfortunately, Abigail doesn’t have cohesive characters at all. The writing doesn’t make those characters believable. They constantly make terrible decisions and stupid mistakes throughout the whole runtime of the movie. They are supposed to be a professional kidnapping team. It is very frustrating to witness such brainless characters. The story is extremely predictable, not to mention that they spoiled the movie with the trailers. So when the big reveal comes up, you are not surprised at all. Also, the gore seems cheap. The blood looks like tomato juice, rather than the usual horror mix of cranberries sauce with syrup. Another detail is the sudden change of protagonist in the 3rd act. This made no sense, and the director should’ve kept it like it was before. Director Tyler Gillett did a way better job with a previous movie, Ready Or Not. Abigail is a disappointing but watchable movie. Watch it if there’s anything else interesting.
