Abigail 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Abigail 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 22, 2025

Before they entered the “Scream” zone in 2022, making two sequels for the popular slasher franchise, director Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (a.k.a. Radio Silence) scored a minor success with 2019’s “Ready or Not.” The bloody take on hide and seek was a creative highlight for the helmers, who offered a somewhat fast and funny study of survival. Instead of taking a creative step forward after spending years in Ghostface Country, Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett are back with another small-scale battleground endeavor in “Abigail,” which, in many ways, resembles “Ready or Not.” Another offering of scary stuff and funny business, “Abigail” has more difficulty finding its tone, struggling with a weaker ensemble and editorial indecision, making for a longer sit with a fairly thin idea for a big screen bloodbath. It’s fun at times, with a charging opening act, but Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett don’t know when to quit with the effort, which slows down as it unfolds.

A kidnapping has been organized, with handler Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito) turning to Frank (Dan Stevens) to assemble a team capable of pulling off a delicate job. The target is a young ballerina named Abigail (Alisha Weir), with Lambert looking to collect fifty million dollars for her safe return. On the job are Joey (Melissa Barrera), who has medical experience and military training; Peter (Kevin Durand) is the muscle, but not the brains; Dean (Angus Cloud) is the wheelman; Sammy (Kathryn Newton) is a hacker, helping with security; and Rickles (Will Catlett) is the gunman. Capturing Abigail, the team returns to Lambert’s mansion, setting up for the night while business is tended to. However, all is not well with the prisoner, who pleads for mercy, only to reveal herself as a force of evil. Abigail is a vampire looking to feed, and with the dwelling now locked down, it’s up to Joey and the crew to figure out how to survive the night against an enemy they don’t know how to defeat.

Abigail is a dedicated dancer, with “Swan Lake” her ballet of choice, finding the iconic music used throughout the feature. She’s fierce on the stage, but she’s small in stature, making the job appear easy to Frank, the profane ringleader of the criminal team, who brings together a strange assortment of hired help to pull off the kidnapping. Real names and personal histories are limited in the first half of “Abigail,” but we do get to know Joey in details, including a reliance on candy to help cool her system, and her phone displays a photo of her in happier times with a child. Joey is focused and skilled, and she becomes the contact for the group, trying to keep Abigail at ease while the rest of the unit settles into their strange surroundings. Much like “Ready or Not,” the home soon becomes a prison of sorts, intended to keep the ugly business of family inside, away from prying eyes.

“Abigail” successfully identifies particular sets of skills from the crooks and establishes their intellects and irritability. Joey is sharp and trained, ready to complete the deal. Peter is a moron, but a powerful one. And Frank isn’t one to trust, merely looking to control the operation and collect a major payday. The screenplay (by Stephen Shields and Guy Busick) is efficient with characterization, and it gets the threat of Abigail up and moving somewhat smoothly, revealing the tiny dancer to be a horrible monster, desperate to feed on the invaders. This turn greatly disturbs the gang, who are suddenly faced with their own demise as the vampire threatens them, using balletic movement during pursuits and enjoying the home field advantage. “Abigail” is most enjoyable during early scenes of the struggle, as anxiety sets in and plans of escape are squashed, with Joey more careful than the others when it comes to conflict, watching the players in this sick game turn on one another.

Abigail 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Screenshots are taken from the Blu-ray.

"Abigail" was issued on Blu-ray in 2024, and returns with a UHD release from Shout Factory, listed as a "new 4K presentation from the original elements." There's no radical work to be done on the title, making the upgrade factor minimal as the viewing experience basically improves on the Blu-ray release in minor ways. Detail is a bit sharper for a picture that's obsessed with texture, handling the goopy elements of gory encounters, and facial surfaces are defined, examining differences in ages and wear and tear. Mansion tours are dimensional, preserving decorative additions and room depth. Exteriors are limited but deep. Color is a bit more nuanced as the overall feature favors a golden, almost sepia appearance inside the dwelling, following the lead of lighting choices. Greenish illumination is also handled well. More defined hues are found outside the central locations, with light pinks and deep reds, especially bloodshed, secured. Skintones for the living and the undead are natural. Blacks are mostly deep, favoring a milkier darkness at times. Highlights are tasteful.

Abigail 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 7.1 Dolby TrueHD mix delivers crisp dialogue exchanges throughout the listening event, balancing performance choices (Cloud and Durand are major mumblers) and rises in dramatic intensity. Scoring retains sharp instrumentation and depth, cranking up "Swan Lake" selections with orchestral authority. Surrounds fill out musical moods, and sound effects are on the move, working with panning displays, along with some moments of separation. Low-end is hearty, communicating the violent hits and bloody explosions. There's not a world of difference between the 7.1 and the 5.1 DTS-HD MA tracks, but a bit more width and nuance is offered for movie that's often quite blunt in its sound design.

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

• Commentary #1 features directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, and editor Michael P. Shawver.

• Commentary #2 feature movie critic Drew McWeeny.

• Interview (20:39, HD) is a video conference discussion of "Abigail" with cinematographer Aaron Morton. The interviewee reflects on his collaboration with directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, getting into the same headspace to help creative inspiration. Visual ideas are dissected, including the use of light in the library set, and musical cues are assessed, helping to bring mood to the movie and the shoot. Working with fake blood is recalled, approaching messiness with a plan to maintain order. Additional technical challenged are dissected, including working with a large cast.

• Interview (25:49, HD) is a video conference chat with co-writer Stephen Shields, who was struck by inspiration while riding on an airplane, looking to develop his love of heist and horror cinema. Selling the pitch for "Abigail" to Universal Pictures, Shields found support from directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett and their writer, Guy Busick, who added most of the vampire elements to play up the bloodiness of the premise. The interviewee shares his love for all things vampire, delighted to make a movie of his own. He also highlights changes made during development, and he explores characterization, pointing out in bits and pieces of personality he brought to the feature.

• Interview (24:05, HD) is a video conference talk with co-writer Guy Busick, who was brought in by directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, asked to work with co-writer Stephen Shields, building on his original idea. Facing the arrival of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA Strike, Busick was pushed to finish as much as possible before shooting began, eventually leaving some of the dialogue to actor improvisation. The interviewee shares his fondness for vampire cinema, gifted a chance to play in the subgenre, paying tribute to classics while dreaming up his own ideas. Casting is celebrated, with Busick previously writing for actress Melissa Barrera in "Scream 5" and "Scream 6," and characterization is identified, providing a challenge to juggle multiple characters.

• Interview (28:09, HD) is a video conference conversation with production designer Susie Cullen, who discusses how she acquired the gig on "Abigail," learning to work with directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, submitting her ideas for the visual presence of the film. The interviewee highlights labor around the locations, getting into the technical and design challenges of the productions, also urging viewers to scan the frame for "easter eggs" in various rooms.

• Deleted Scenes (6:52, HD) are offered.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included on this release.

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

"Abigail" starts with promise, and it's hard to hate the premise, which paves the way to a tight, gory, and silly 80-minute-long ride of panic and mishaps. Trouble is, the feature runs 109 minutes, with the screenplay weirdly obsessed with drawing out the central conflict for as long as possible, taking detours with infighting and tortured backstories for a few of the characters. The endeavor starts to feel heavy, growing fatigued as it files through overwritten asides and tedious character details, and while Barrera is welcomingly steely and Weir wonderfully operatic, the rest of the cast holds limited appeal, especially when the writing is mostly made up of variations on the F-word. "Abigail" really loses a lot in its second half, going against its genre potential as it crawls to a conclusion, and it's one that's not particularly satisfying. Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett have plenty of practice when it comes to close-quarters suspense and craziness, but they take something inherently lean and serve it overstuffed, diminishing this potentially bonkers movie.