Simply earlier than the weekend, Common lastly pulled again the curtain on its cryptic horror film from filmmaking duo Radio Silence. The ensuing movie is Abigail, which sees Melissa Barrera and Dan Stevens headline a workforce of kidnappers who snatch up a child to carry her for ransom. The twist? The titular Abigail, performed by Alisha Weir, is definitely a vampire, and now they’re all fully screwed.
Making the monster a 12-year-old lady is a neat little twist, and the movie appears to understand how a lot enjoyable it might probably have with this premise. It’s not every single day {that a} child in a horror film will get to let free and be a little bit freak whose murderous tendencies are a characteristic fairly than a bug. She dances with a headless corpse at one level and clearly enjoys the chance to mess with these folks utilizing her to make a fast buck. And it’s enjoyable to see the criminals instantly perceive they’ll need to kill a child if it means they get to outlive the night time. Not each film can have Dan Stevens shoot a 12-year-old within the head, however this one does, and makes no apologies for it.
Abigail follows 2020’s The Invisible Man and final 12 months’s Renfield and The Last Voyage of the Demeter, all fashionable spins on iconic monsters Common held semi-dominion over with its Common Monsters collection. After the discharge and instant collapse of its Darkish Universe try with the 2017 Mummy reboot, Common put the Monsters to mattress for a number of years. Then got here Leigh Whannell’s Invisible Man reboot, which determined to replace the property by centering it on an abuse survivor whose ex was stalking her with a flowery tech go well with. That angle gave a significantly darker edge to the “monster” a part of the Common branding and in flip made it all of the extra satisfying when he finally acquired what was coming to him.
Conversely, Demeter isn’t fashionable, and is in truth primarily based straight on a chapter from Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel. Nevertheless it’s enjoying in an analogous house of getting enjoyable with a longtime horror character. Its Dracula is a petty jerk taking his time going by way of the crew of the titular ship. He’s acquired no qualms about chowing down on youngsters, and he clearly enjoys getting the possibility to harass Corey Hawkins’ lone surviving character in potential sequels. It’s a disgrace these will won’t ever come, as a result of Dracula skulking round in London would’ve supplied ample alternative to play up the pettier facets of the character directed primarily at Hawkins within the climax. And whereas I’ve but to see Renfield, it was laborious to not know that it was a automobile for Nicholas Cage to ham it up as Drac, but in addition look at the character by way of the eyes of his long-suffering manservant, who lastly decides that he desires to attempt to have an existence outdoors of his grasp.
The shortage of franchise obligations have given Common a brand new lease on life with these characters. As an alternative, the strategy appears to be just like the way it and Blumhouse deal with issues like M3GAN and Halloween: make them scary, or i in Renfield’s case, attempt to make them enjoyable. Whereas Common will surely like a few of these to have a sequel or two, the studio’s not breaking its again making an attempt to drive that into taking place. And that’s in the end the way it ought to be: Demeter underperformed, however that didn’t impression something, and it’s remembered as a stable flick that deserved extra eyes on it. It didn’t hit M3GAN levels of virality, however its standing because the “Dracula on a Boat” film helped it stand out from different incarnations of the character which have been round within the final decade.
With luck, Abigail gained’t attempt to set up itself as being in the identical world as Whannell’s upcoming Wolf Man reboot or a brand new Invisible particular person. It appears prefer it’s in a position to stand by itself two vampiric toes with out teasing any future visitor stars. And actually, may they actually even match the identical gonzo power as a preteen doing pirouettes earlier than she bites off somebody’s throat?
Abigail releases in theaters on April 19.
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