Abigail is the new horror film this spring. Released this May 31 in French cinemas, the feature film surprisingly reinvents the feature film about gangs and gangsters thanks to a horrific and bloody premise. Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, Abigail surprises, in fact, as much by its rhythm, and its bloody fiber as its script choices which explore several genres.
It must be said that the film largely benefits from the directorial talents of its duo of filmmakers. After Wedding Nightmare (2019) but also two installations of the saga Scream between 2022 and 2023, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett have mastered the art of slasher-style executions. Thus, the hunt promises to be full of suspense, the tension that the directors infuse into their film, while sometimes playing (too much) on the twist of the situation, offering a particularly dense feature film.
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The horror also comes from this seemingly docile and fearful little girl who will transform into a real killing machine, bloodthirsty, violent and deceitful. The film constantly plays on this double image, thus reinforcing the frightening aspect of the main character.
A band film
However, the true strength ofAbigail lies above all in its mixture of genres. Indeed, the film summons several cinema references, such as the strip film thus reminding our memories of the saga Ocean (2004) for its lightness, its humor and the eclecticism of its group, which Usual Suspects (1995) when it comes to finding the mole hidden in this hellish mansion.
Organized around five gangsters among whom we find two major figures of contemporary horror cinema – Melissa Barrera (Scream), and Kathryn Newton (revealed by Freaky) — the film cultivates tension through this reference bias, but also its closed session. Who is the real mole? Who exactly is this little girl that our heroes kidnapped, more dangerous than she seems? But above all, how will they be able to get out and escape this twisted trap?
All these questions make for gripping exposition and push us to fully invest in the dire future of the characters who will go from executioners to victims in no time.
Between humor, thriller and horror, the feature film is a dense proposition, carried by an eclectic cast. Within it, we will also note the presence of Angus Cloud, the star ofEuphoria died in August 2023, who finds her final role here.
For his last appearance in a film, the American actor participates in a real cinematographic surprise which, despite a classic premise, manages to entertain its audience between suspense, bloody action, and reference film.
Abigail by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett with Alisha Weir, Melissa Barrera, Angus Cloud and Dan Stevens, 1h49, May 31 at the cinema.
