**© Universal Pictures and Radio Silence Productions**

Abigail – Film Review

Cast: Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, Will Catlett, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud, Alisha Weir, Giancarlo Esposito

Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett

Synopsis: A group of criminals kidnap the daughter of a criminal overlord, only to discover she has a penchant for drinking blood…

Review: As mythical creatures go, vampires are up there with the most iconic and recognisable and have become a staple of modern popular culture. Taking many forms over the years, from the instantly recognisable and iconic Dracula to the less iconic sparkly variety. If you had to imagine a typical vampire, they’d probably picture an imposing figure in a black cape gleefully drinking the blood of their victims. You’d probably never expect a vampire to appear as a ballerina-loving girl, which is precisely what makes the latest film from the filmmaking duo known as Radio Silence so fascinating and entertaining.

A crew of criminals, overseen by the ringleader Lambert (Esposito), are recruited to kidnap a young girl named Abigail and hold her captive at an isolated mansion. The crew, who are told not to use real names while they’re on the job, consists of former army medic Joey (Barrera), ex-detective Frank (Stevens), hacker Sammy (Newton), driver Dean (Cloud in his final onscreen role), sniper Rickles (Catlett) and enforcer Peter (Durant). They are promised a $50m reward to be split between them if they can keep the girl safe and unharmed for 24 hours. The crew then make themselves comfortable and try to deduce the real identities of each other, all while Joey is tasked with ensuring Abigail is comfortable throughout her ordeal. This is until when some of them begin to be picked off by a mysterious assailant and it soon dawns on them that Abigail is no ordinary 12-year-old girl who is obsessed with ballet but is, in fact, a centuries-old vampire who wants to feast on their blood.

Based on and a reimagining of the 1936 film Dracula’s Daughter, the opening scenes of the titular character pirouetting to Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake as she practises her ballet is probably the last way you would expect a vampire movie to open. It ensures the film stands out in a crowded genre by having a creature of the night feast on her victims while dressed in a tutu. In the same vein as how Ready or Not was a thrilling splice of horror-comedy and a deadly game of hide and seek, the script by Guy Busick (co-writer of Ready or Not and the two recent Scream movies) and Stephen Shields is cut from the same mythical cloth. Horror and comedy once again go splat, except this time it’s a heist movie that goes very very wrong for this crew of people, who frankly, are mostly so deplorable you are willing for Abigail to feast on their blood, because as she puts it “likes to play with her food”.

For a film centred on the premise of a ballerina-loving vampire, it is slow to get to the main course of the movie, where the crew realise what it is they are up against and how could they possibly defeat a creature of the night, which provides ample opportunities for some amusing and meta references from existing vampiric pop culture and how do they deal with the not-so-insignificant matter of a bloodthirsty vampire. Barrera, having been a central part of the revived Scream saga under Radio Silence, is the member of this crew who gets the most development. We learn about her circumstances and why she is in desperate need of some extra money. This plight, and her role as the one who is solely tasked with communicating with Abigail allows her to build trust between the two of them, which may come in handy when Abigail’s desire to drink the blood of every last member of this group of criminals takes hold. Every crew member gets a moment to shine, with no one having as much of a bloody good time as Stevens’ Frank.

However, the star of the show is unquestionably Alisha Weir as Abigail. Having announced herself onto the scene with her incredible performance as the titular character in 2022’s Matilda the Musical, this is another film where she not only plays the titular character but more than holds her own against her more experienced co-stars. She commits absolutely everything to the role in terms of the dancing and the twirling moves of a ballerina as she gleefully and gracefully hunts down her prey, effortlessly switching between the dual personality of a sweet and innocent ballerina-loving girl and a ferocious and bloodthirsty vampire.

Speaking of blood, because you simply can’t have a vampire film without it, after dabbling with the gritty real-world violence of the Ghostface killings, the switch back to the more supernatural setting allows Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillet to return to the over-the-top violence similar to Ready or Not. If you thought that film had a considerable amount of blood, it is nothing compared to the torrents of the stuff unleashed here. It would not be a shock to discover if it broke a world record for the most fake blood that has ever been utilised in a film. It takes a little while for the film to raise the stakes (pun absolutely) intended, but once she gets her fangs and the feeding frenzy begins, it is an absolute bloody riot. A monstrously fun time is to be had by all, well apart from those who end up having those fangs buried deep into their necks.

Another superb performance from Alisha Weir having the time of her life as the tiny but deadly titular vampire is the highlight of another deliciously exciting concoction of horror comedy from Radio Silence.

Ready or Not – Film Review

Cast: Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Mark O’Brien, Henry Czerny, Andie MacDowell, Nicky Guadagni, Kristian Bruun, Elyse Levesque, John Ralston

Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett

Synopsis: As she marries into a wealthy family that owns a considerable empire built upon board games, a bride’s wedding night turns violent when she’s forced into a deadly game of hide and seek…

Review: When you think of a wedding, you picture them to be joyful, happy occasions filled with family, drinks and memories that will last a lifetime. Or, that’s at least how they usually go. However, for anyone marrying into a family that has a vast and considerable empire built upon board games, their wedding night will not involve a disco, lots of drinks and some joyous music. Instead, it will involve a game, a game of the considerably more bloody variety that pits everyone in a brutal battle for survival.

Grace (Weaving) is excited to finally be marrying into the Le Domas family as she ties the knot with her fiance Alex (O’Brien). Once the ceremony is concluded, Grace is invited by her new relatives to take part in a game that the Le Domas clan do every time someone new enters the family. When Grace chooses the “hide and seek” card, she initially believes that they will be playing a typical, innocent game of hide and seek. However, she soon realises that it it is anything but, as due to a curse that they believe an ancestor has placed on them, her crazed new relatives believe they must kill Grace, before the next morning, at all costs.

With such an absurd, and just completely bonkers premise, had the film taken a more serious approach it with itstone, it likely would have fallen flat on its face. However, the film knows what it is, and it uses the absurdity of that premise to its advantage. Writers Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy use this ludicrous premise, and transform it from your typical run-of-the-mill horror/slasher film, into a batshit, and brilliantly entertaining horror that expertly manages the balance between the comedic and horror elements of the story. It is made all the better by peppering brilliant moments of dark humour throughout, whilst significantly turning up the dial on some very over-the-top violence.

As the woman who’s forced into this deadly fight for survival, Samara Weaving, having had the smallest of roles in Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri, gives a spectacular, memorable breakthrough performance. Right from the moment you meet her, she’s an immensely likeable protagonist, and you will her to find the courage and resourcefulness to escape this dangerous life or death situation, that she finds herself in. The main source of comedy largely comes from the Le Domas clan, who clearly have no idea how to handle the rather antiquated weapons they’re using to try and eliminate Grace, which leads to some spectacularly entertaining moments.

Boasting some excellent production design, and likewise with the costumes, most notably Grace’s wedding dress, that goes through just a few wears and tears as the night wears on. While it almost never fails to be entertaining throughout its 95 minute run time, it does get to a point where the violence becomes so over the top and ridiculous, that the comedic aspect of it does begin to wear off a little bit. Touching upon themes of marriage, family, and a bitter class divide, the scope was there for these to be explored a little more. Though, it may make someone think twice before agreeing to marry into an eccentric and wealthy family in the future.

A brilliantly, and entertainingly bonkers blend of horror and comedy, with a truly memorable performance from Samara Weaving. This brings a whole new meaning to the phrase “till death do us part.”