'Abigail' review: A vampire bloodbath with pools of sticky stuff

A group of kidnappers winds up with more on their hands than they bargained for in "Abigail," a slick crime noir that switches gears midway through and becomes an insanely blood-soaked vampire romp.

The beat switch doesn't come as a total surprise, since it's featured prominently in all the film's marketing and advertising materials. But it makes for a good time thanks to its game cast and spirited directing duo, who treat the story like if "From Dusk Till Dawn" was restaged inside a creepy mansion.

Joey (Melissa Barrera) heads up a team of thieves who are called on to abduct the young daughter of a high-powered figure whom they'll hold for ransom and return unharmed, a high risk but rewarding pay day for all involved. The criminals don't know each other and aren't supposed to tell each other their real names, so as to better disappear from one another after collecting their purse.

They include an ex-cop (Dan Stevens), a stoner with a slow drawl (the late Angus Cloud in one of his final roles), a hired muscle (Kevin Durand) and a hacker (Kathryn Newton). They're all given Rat Pack nicknames by Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito), an intermediary who is handling the particulars and gives the group their assignment: Watch over 12-year-old Abigail (Alisha Weir) for 24 hours, don't get personal with one another, and walk away with a pile of cash for what amounts to a babysitting job.

What he doesn't tell them is that little old Abigail, whom we're introduced to as a young ballerina dancing to Tchaikovsky, is a vicious bloodsucker. The group finds that out the hard way, and the directing duo of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the pair who helmed the last two "Scream" movies, has a ball playing with vampire lore and mythology and absolutely drenching the cast in dark, viscous blood.

And this isn't digital blood splatter, a workaround sometimes employed by filmmakers looking to avoid the goo's icky factor. This is thick, heavy blood, doled out by the gallon, which covers the cast members' skin, hair and clothing. Everyone comes out needing a serious bath.

Barrera, reteaming with the directors after back-to-back "Scream" outings, is a strong lead and the film's conflicted conscience, a smart cookie criminal with a soft, humanizing backstory. Stevens, also currently having a ball in "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire," is put to great, smarmy, dastardly use, his best bit of casting since 2014's "The Guest."

Durand and Newton help round out the ensemble, and Cloud leaves a lasting impression, made all the more tragic by his 2023 death. If there's a weak point it's the movie's physical depiction of the vampires, who are outfitted with oversized teeth prosthetics which are too big for the actors' mouths, and sometimes stunts their speech.

Also the script tends to get bogged down with character double, triple and quadruple crosses, especially in the home stretch. But every time things get too convoluted, the directors detonate another blood bomb and all is forgiven. Gore hounds will lap it up, and they have the right idea. "Abigail" is a bloody blast.

agraham@detroitnews.com

'Abigail'

GRADE: B-

Rated R: for strong bloody violence and gore throughout, pervasive language and brief drug use

Running time: 109 minutes

In theaters