Horror reviews in one minute or less, 100% spoiler free!

Abigail tells the story of a group of strangers who are contracted to kidnap a powerful man’s daughter, then hold her in a remote mansion awaiting ransom demands to be met. As the night wears on, the kidnappers begin to realize the titular Abigail is no average little girl.

Starring Scream’s Melissa Barrera, Freaky’s Kathryn Newton, Legion’s Dan Stevens, and lovable giant Kevin Durand from The Strain, there are plenty of horror and horror adjacent players in this flick.

Tarantino inspirations are evident here from Reservoir Dogs, down to the boss-issued fake names, compelling group dialogue sessions and trust deficit among the criminals, as well as a light coating of From Dusk Till Dawn flavoring.

I feel the trailers did Abigail a disservice, painting it as a horror comedy, or at the very least goofy, when in reality it plays it mostly straight and makes for some tense viewership as far as mainstream horror goes.

The character work is great, Alisha Weir as Abigail is fantastically sick and creepy, and there is a little bit of mystery to be solved and surprises through its watch time. Also, special shoutout to the various apropos remixes and uses of Swan Lake and the score as a whole.

I fully endorse a viewing of Abigail and it is well worth a six-dollar rental.