Coming Attractions- Abigail (2024)

 

**This post contains POSSIBLE spoilers**

Directors- Matt Bettinlli-Olpin, Tyler Gillet

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

Release Date- April 19, 2024

Welcome to Coming Attractions! In this new post series, I’ll give my thoughts on upcoming movies and TV shows that I’m interested in, so I’ll start things off with Abigail.

Abigail is supposed to be a reboot or a reimagining of 1934’s Dracula’s Daughter. Just going by the title of the 1934 film and knowing Abigail is a vampire, it’s not hard to put two and two together to figure out who her father might be. They’re intentionally keeping the identity of Abigail’s father a secret in the trailer, so it’s easy to guess they’re setting up a big reveal for Dracula, possibly in a mid-credits or post- credits scene?

Going by the trailer, you get the feeling this won’t be an overly serious movie. Hopefully a good balance of humor and horror, and they’re really putting a lot of emphasis on Abigail being a “ballerina vampire.” You can also see this is going to be a bloody and gory horror flick. The bodies floating around in that underground pool, and Abigail dancing with a headless corpse are two scenes that really stick out in the trailer.

And the kidnappers were obviously lured into a trap? The house is clearly designed to trap Abigail’s prey inside. Giancarlo Esposito possibly orchestrated the setup, because the no names and no cell phones rule is just too fishy. It’s also worth pointing out that Melissa Barrera has a son, and she makes an effort to form a connection with Abigail. 

Maybe this whole ordeal is a test for Abigail from her father, or it’s some kind of sick and twisted training exercise, but Abigail looks good so far. Maybe we’re looking at one of the sleeper hit horror films for 2024, and the introduction of a new character that could possibly have some longevity.

Universal’s Dark Universe had some potential. Sofia Boutella brought a refreshing spark to The Mummy. Dracula Untold was a promising film, and Luke Evans played a solid and strong version of Dracula. It’s just a bummer that everything completely fell apart, before they had any kind of chance to build up some momentum with the Dark Universe.

Going forward, standalone films are probably the best option. The Invisible Man is a good example for a success story. Universal has a gold mine loaded with storied horror icons and characters. Maybe it’s best that each character has their own film or films for more breathing room and a bigger showcase, without having to worry about connecting everything for a shared universe.