Abigail - Turbine 4K UHD Mediabook Cover D (German Import)

This is a tough review to start. Are you a horror fan? Did you watch movie trailers throughout 2024? Then you probably saw a trailer for Abigail. I know I did. Several times, in fact. And like a number of folks I know, you probably didn’t feel the urge to get to the theater to see the film. Not because it didn’t look good, but because the marketing spoiled one of the biggest surprises. 

As I try to dance around the plot points, just in case there are one or two people out there who somehow didn’t see the film’s misguided marketing campaign, Abigail is essentially a reverse home invasion film. A gang of criminals, the affable Joey (Melissa Barrera), the Psychotic Frank (another devilishly fun horror turn from Dan Stevens), Sammy (Kathryn Newton), the lunkheaded muscleman Peter (Kevin Durand), Rickles (William Catlett), and the stoner driver Dean (Angus Cloud) signed up for a job that could net them millions. In this too-good-to-be-true scheme, they’re tasked with kidnapping the young daughter of a rich man, Abigail (Alisha Weir), taking her to an isolated mansion, and holding her for 24 hours until the ransom is paid. Simple, easy job. Only the little girl isn’t who or what she appears to be, and these kidnappers will be lucky to see the light of day… alive. 

Dollars to donuts, no, Abigail isn’t the greatest horror film ever made, but it’s a damned fun rollercoaster ride of a flick. With the Radio Silence duo at the helm, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett found a way to shake up a tired old sub-genre and give it a fresh, fun, and bloody spin. It might not be as rip-roaring, balls-to-the-wall riotous as Ready or Not (can’t wait for that sequel!), but I think it’s a better-paced, more entertaining, and more successful run than their final Scream effort. I liked their Scream movies, but their films are more fun when they’re not playing around in someone else’s sandbox. 

On the scale of performances, everyone plays to their strengths. Melissa Barrera taps into that similar amiable energy she brought to the Scream franchise. Angus Cloud and Kathryn Newton were fun for what they got to deliver. More Kevin Durand is a good thing, and he was a hoot here. I would’ve loved to see more of William Catlett’s Rickles; it felt like they were setting him up for a bigger role. But the standouts of the film absolutely were little Alisha Weir and the always great Dan Stevens. Stevens had a hell of a good year in 2024, and his run here was a highlight. And as our titular Abigail, Weir was a fierce, feisty little sprite that brought big energy to the show. 

While the woeful marketing campaign stupidly spoiled a number of great plot twists, Abigail is absolutely worth checking out. Thankfully, there are a few more twists and turns to enjoy, so if you did see one of those trailers, you’ll still get a nice surprise or two. But this film was the reason I started bringing my Kindle to the theater. I’ve gotten really good at reading during trailers and tuning out, so the best pieces of movies aren’t spoiled. If you’re game for an energetic, entertaining horror flick with a devilish sense of humor for the macabre, give this one a spin when you can. 

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 
If you don’t mind importing when there’s already a domestic release, those wily Germans at Turbine extricate Abigail onto physical media with a two-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray Mediabook release. Fans have the choice of snagging one of four exquisite-looking covers with a 32-page booklet featuring a great essay about the production. The essay is in German, but as I’ve mentioned in past Turbine releases, Google Translate is an easy-to-use tool for reading that content. The disc loads to a language menu, English or German, before seguing to an animated main menu with basic navigation options.

Well, if you’re looking for a film that’ll stress-test the black levels and shadows of your home theater setup, Abigail is a prime candidate! This disc offers a very strong 2160p Dolby Vision transfer for fans to enjoy, but the film, by nature, is very dark, shadowy, and has very limited light sources. To that point, details may seem a bit subdued at times, but it’s still a very sharp and clear image. When the lighting hits right, we can fully appreciate facial features, costuming, and the often incredible, intricate details in the creepy old mansion. Gory visual effects and the gallons of blood get plenty of attention. As I said, this is a darker, creepy flick, so lighting tends to come from soft lamps and fireplaces, so lighting skews a bit more orange; as such, key primaries don’t really stand out on their own dime. But with the HDR grade working its magic, those shadows are distinct and offer some nice dimensionality to the image.

Riding into the show, we have ourselves a great Dolby Atmos mix to enjoy. Given the sort of reverse home invasion style film, the soundscape isn’t always balls-to-the-wall aggressive; it’s more subtle and remote. A creeping creaking floorboard over here, a thumping up above, the tictok of a clock over there - that sort of sound design. Which on its own terms, makes for a fully engaging track to enjoy. Even during the quiet bits and the few character-driven conversations, the mix finds unique ways to fill that space along the front/center, side, and rear channels while giving nice attention to overhead use. Throughout, dialog is clean and clear. The Bryan Tyler score adds the right amount of excitement to the mix without overpowering anything or just being used as filler. Good creepy stuff all around. 

Bonus features for this release are a strong selection, but not the same as what we got here in the States domestically. This release doesn't have one of the commentary tracks, and it missed out on an hour or so of interviews. We do get the great directors'/editor commentary track, the deleted scenes and gag reel, with four brief but still somewhat informative featurettes. The booklet, although in German, is a good read, and with its own wealth of info, if you’re willing to use that Google Translate app to help you along. 

• Audio Commentary featuring Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, and Michael P. Shawver
• Deleted/Extended Scenes (HD 6:52)
• Gag Reel (HD 9:41)
• Bloodbath (HD 7:04)
• Hunters to Hunter (HD 5:36)
• Becoming a Ballerina Vampire (HD 4:29)
• Directing Duo: Matt and Tyler (HD 5:40)
• US Trailer 1
• US Trailer 2
• German Trailer
• Booklet

Abigail was one of those classic cases of a film undone by its marketing. Trailers should tease and set up some expectations, but not give everything away. There are a number of home invasion gone wrong films out there, Don’t Breathe, for example, but the key is to keep that unique hook hidden until the audience gets to the theater. Unfortunately, the ad campaign for Abigail gave away too much of the show. There’s still plenty of fun to be had, and there are some clever twists to enjoy. So even if you did see the trailers, you’re not quite getting the entire film. As there is a domestic 4K release from Scream Factory, we got to take a look at the German Mediabook release from Turbine, but due to that unfortunate importing snafu earlier in the year, we had to hold off coverage until folks could actually order it if they wished. On its own terms, this two-disc Mediabook is a slick piece of work. The Dolby Vision transfer is excellent, the Atmos audio is grand, and the Mediabook itself is a stylish piece, with multiple covers to choose from. Bonus features here are decent; we get the same great director/editor commentary track, but miss some of the interviews from the Scream disc. I had a blast with the film, and it holds up through multiple viewings. Recommended

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