Few things are creepier than a little girl out of place. Whether it’s the girl who amplifies the eerie atmosphere in Ari Aster’s Hereditary or a little girl as the main villain, like in M3GAN, they can be incredibly unsettling. Abigail took this idea to the next level when it effectively became the perfect M3GAN clone.
M3GAN (2022) vs Abigail (2024)
Since humanity conceived the idea of artificial intelligence, it has fascinated and terrified us. M3GAN follows a robot, the Model 3 Generative Android, designed to protect a young girl who has lost both her parents from loneliness, becoming the perfect companion, play pal, and caretaker. But chaos ensues when the robot “optimises” her objective of defending her primary user from literally everything. Watch our M3gan For Dummies video.
An even older concept than AI fear is the ancient dread of vampires. Child vampires, in particular, are horrifying, as seen in Interview with the Vampire. Abigail follows mercenaries who kidnap a wealthy young girl, hoping for a ransom. They soon realize they are the real targets, trapped with a monstrous child vampire.
Why Abigail Is The Perfect M3GAN Clone
There are many ways in which Abigail is the perfect M3GAN clone. Here are just a few:
1. The Name: Both films use a common name to represent a terrifying horror concept. As with all good movies named after the main antagonist, the audience can easily identify the most frightening element. The true horror lies in how the events of the movie unfold.
2. Horror & Comedy: Both movies maintain a significantly creepy vibe that intensifies towards the end, but this is punctuated with well-placed comedic relief. This humour often stems from the interactions of adults who mistakenly believe they are smarter than the little girl villain simply because they are adults.
3. Great Acting: The excellent acting of the young girls in these movies makes or breaks the films, and it definitely made it in both cases.
4: Scare-Larious Dancing: When M3GAN debuted in 2022, audiences were captivated by the sight of the doll dancing in the hallways, transforming an innocent, child-like activity into a moment that was both funny and terrifying. Abigail capitalized on this, using the concept as a recurring trope throughout the movie. While Abigail is literally introduced as practising ballet (kidnapped in the clothing she was practising in) and even changes into a more elaborate tutu and pointe shoes, her character made a horror trope out of M3GAN’s eccentric dancing instead of just using it as a moment of comedic relief.
A Crossover Movie Might Happen
Even though both films are pretty recent, it hasn’t stopped fans from wondering what a crossover movie between the two would be like. Surprisingly, the creators seem to be keen, too.
“If there’s ever a M3GAN vs. Abigail movie, you won’t hear any complaints from me,” director Matt Bettinelli-Olpin told Empire. However, he also noted that the R-rated Abigail is much darker and “not afraid to go places you’re maybe not sure you want to go.”
The prospect of the adolescent vampire battling M3GAN is, of course, very interesting. But why stop there? She might as well go up against other characters like Chucky and Annabelle, too. Heck, you can even throw in Ophan‘s Esther for good measure. Audiences won’t be mad.
The idea that the horror genre might become flooded with children dancing weirdly—meant to be creepy but often coming across as hilarious—is more unsettling than the little girls themselves. Hopefully, this trend will fade now that M3GAN and Abigail have explored it.
Do you agree that Abigail is the perfect M3GAN clone? Let us know your thoughts on this horror trend in the comments below. Also, check out the other AI humanoid horror film everyone is talking about: T.I.M.
Abigail |
|---|
After a group of criminals kidnap the ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, they retreat to an isolated mansion, unaware that they're locked inside with no normal little girl. |
 |
|---|
| Studio: Project X Entertainment Vinson Films, Radio Silence Productions |
| Running Time: 1h 49m |
| Release Date: April 7, 2024 (Overlook Film Festival); April 19, 2024 (United States) |
| Cast: Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, Will Catlett, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud, Alisha Weir, Giancarlo Esposito |
| Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett |
| Writers: Stephen Shields, Guy Busick |
| Genre: Horror, Thriller |
| Box Office: $39.8 million |
