Abigail 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Abigail 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Abigail is one of the best horror films in modern horror cinema. Executive produced by Macdara Kelleher (Evil Dead Rise, Drop) and Ron Lynch (Scream VI, Scream), Abigail is an instant-cult classic vampire horror feature. Produced by Paul Neinstein (Scream VI, Scream), William Sherak (Scream VI, Ready or Not), James Vanderbilt (Zodiac, Scream), Chad Villella (V/H/S/85, V/H/S/99), and Tripp Vinson (Ready or Not, Fountain of Youth), Abigail stars Alisha Weir, Kathryn Newton, Kevin Durand, Dan Stevens, Melissa Barrera, Angus Cloud, William Catlett, and Giancarlo Esposito.

A rag-tag team of six renegade criminals including Sammy (Kathryn Newton), Peter (Kevin Durand), Frank (Dan Stevens), Joey (Melissa Barrera), Dean (Angus Cloud), and Rickles (William Catlett) is assembled to abduct the 12-year-old ballerina: Abigail (Alisha Weir). Abigail is the daughter of one of the most powerful and dangerous figures in the underworld. After Abigail is abducted, the criminals take her to a luxurious mansion referred to as the Wilhelm Manor.

An unexpected night of non-stop terror and mayhem unfolds. The criminals were instructed to watch Abigail for a 24-hour period and yet the seemingly innocent ballerina turns out to be a centuries old vampire with a blood-thirst for revenge. An onslaught of blood-soaked terror unfolds as a blood-bath becomes the norm in Wilhelm Manor. Who can survive the night that Abigail came home?

The performances are excellent and are essential to the filmmaking. The entire cast does a great job in Abigail. Alisha Weir is impressive in the title role. Weir is a gifted actress with a great sense of range to the character. Weir manages to showcase both the seemingly sweet-and-innocent quality of Abigail as well as that of the vampire thirsting-for-revenge.

The renegade criminals who abduct Abigail are well portrayed by the cast members. Kathryn Newton is perfection in the role of hacker Sammy, Melissa Barrera impresses in spades as military medic Joey, Dan Stevens is terrific as a corrupt former officer, and Angus Cloud impresses as the off-kilter getaway driver. The ensemble has terrific fun with their respective roles. The actors practically bounce off of each other and the script.

The production designs by Susie Cullen (Drop, I Kill Giants) are exceptional and add a lot to the sleek and sophisticated horror filmmaking. Cullen is a talented production designer and someone with a superb visual sensibility. The designs for the mansion provide a lot of eeriness to the setting and help the foundation of the horror filmmaking to be all the better and more intriguing.

Featuring costumes by Gwen Jeffares Hourie (Drop, Arcadian), Abigail has wonderful costumes and the designs add so much to the production. Hourie is a gifted designer and someone who understands the characters. The designs add a lot of vibrancy to the entire cast of characters. The designs are also the perfect accompaniment to the horror filmmaking.

Edited by Michael P. Shawver (Sinners, Black Panther), Abigail is well-paced throughout the feature- film. The editing style is top-notch and delivers something special in spades. The editing vision capably gives wonder to the horror filmmaking and brings audiences closer to the story.

Featuring a score composed by Brian Tyler (Scream VI, Ready or Not), Abigail is a superb horror score and one that provides energy and spectacle in spades. Tyler delivers a wonderful soundtrack to the production. The music ebbs and flows with the action and horror. The characters are given great moments to shine throughout.

The cinematography by Aaron Morton (The First Omen, Evil Dead) is well-done throughout and is one of the great highlights of Abigail. The visual language of the filmmaking is something that brings out all of the subtle nuances in the production. The cinematography capably highlights the visuals of the eerie mansion and the sense of dread and terror created. The dark and gritty aesthetic is perfect for the narrative. A well-done effort by the cinematographer.

Written by Stephen Shields (The Hole in the Ground, Hunted) and Guy Busick (Ready or Not, Final Destination: Bloodlines), Abigail is a special script. The screenplay is perfect for horror fans. The screenplay provides a perfect ratio of character development and action-based storytelling. The ensemble cast of characters are all given wonderful moments to shine in the feature with superb dialogue for the cast.

Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin (Ready or Not, Scream VI) and Tyler Gillett (Scream VI, Ready or Not), Abigail is one of the best modern horror films. Abigail is enormously entertaining and the filmmakers created something remarkably special. The directing is exhilarating with plenty of action-spectacle.

An abundance of entertaining and gruesome horror make the film all the more memorable, too. The best part? The bloodbath of a conclusion. Abigail builds to an epic showdown and the stakes raise during the course of the film. The visuals are fantastic and the experience is exhilarating.

Abigail 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on 4K UHD by Turbine Media, Abigail is presented in 2160p HEVC / H.265 in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.39:1 widescreen. The 4K UHD presentation is exceptional. The release provides beautiful video and the transfer showcases the fantastic visuals in spades. The image is remarkably sharp and detailed. The presentation provides excellent depth and detail to the 4K transfer. The production design effort and layout are well showcased by the crisp encoding and subtle details in the mansion are well reproduced.

The release provides an HDR grade. The HDR is provided in either Dolby Vision or HDR10 (standard). Dolby Vision is available for audiences equipped with compatible Dolby Vision displays. Dolby adds additional metadata on top of the standard HDR10 grade. For those equipped, it can make a subtle difference to the presentation. HDR10 is the standard and the HDR grading looks excellent throughout the feature presentation. Colors pop and look remarkably beautiful on the release. The HDR grade helps bring out the best between the darkest darks and brightest brights of the 4K presentation.

One of the strengths of the 4K UHD disc format is the vastly superior bit-rates to streaming video services. 4K UHD video on disc offers a vastly improved and higher bit-rate compared to 4K streaming. For home theater enthusiasts wanting the closest 4K image to a 4K DCP theatrical presentation, the 4K disc provides a wonderful preservation of the image.

Abigail 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a Dolby Atmos surround sound presentation. The Atmos audio is exceptional and one of the strengths of the presentation. The Atmos encoding provides great clarity and detail for the soundstage. The surrounds are actively utilized throughout and provide plenty of immersion for the audio presentation. The rear speakers are brought to life with razor sharp precision and crisp fine details. The score is beautifully highlighted on the release, too.

One of the best qualities of Blu-ray and 4K UHD is the lossless audio encoding. The lossless format provides theater quality audio at home. For home theater enthusiasts and audiophiles, it delivers something remarkably special and superior to anything found on streaming video services. Even significant new releases on streaming video services are limited to CD quality Atmos whereas a physical copy provides a significantly improved lossless experience that matches the lossless quality one will hear in a movie theater.

Abigail 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release includes limited edition packaging. The packaging is stunning on the release. The 4K UHD edition provides a deluxe slipbox with a nice cover-art design. The full-wrap slipbox includes more artwork on the back of the box. The 4K UHD case inside of the box provides additional key art. An excellent assortment of artwork between the slipbox and standard case. The entire package is text free and focuses on the images. (A removable j-card sticker sheet is attached to the back of the box and is easily removed.) A classy looking 4K release.

On disc supplements include:

Audio Commentary with Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett and Editor Michael P. Shawver

From the Cutting Room Floor –

Deleted & Extended Scenes (HD, 6:52)

Gag Reel (HD, 9:41)

Featurettes –

Bloodbath (HD, 7:04)

Hunters to Hunted (HD, 5:36)

Becoming a Ballerina Vampire (HD, 4:29)

Directing Duo: Matt & Tyler (HD, 5:40)

Trailer:

USA Trailer 1 (HD, 2:47)

USA Trailer 2 (HD, 1:14)

Germany Trailer 1 (HD, 2:48)

Abigail 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Abigail is an enormously entertaining horror feature. The filmmaking is exceptional and there is so much to enjoy about the horror film. The performances are excellent across the board and every cast member does a superb job in Abigail. Directed by Matt Bettinelli- Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the duo behind Ready or Not and the Scream reboot, Abigail is an instant cult classic. The 4K UHD release provides a stunning 4K presentation, lossless audio, and a nice selection of bonus features. The collectors edition is packaged in a gorgeous collectable slipbox with stunning artwork. Highly recommended.