New $10 Million Horror Movie Copies A Quentin Tarantino Twist From 28 Years Ago

Summary Abigail & From Dusk 'Till Dawn boast similar vampire twists that turn crime-thrillers to horror.

Abigail's twist is better executed than From Dusk 'Till Dawn, maintaining character focus.

From Dusk 'Till Dawn loses strong dramatic beats when it embraces campy horror, unlike Abigail.

Abigail utilizes a similar storytelling trick as a twenty-eight-year-old film written by Quentin Tarantino. Abigail has proven to be a hit with critics, in part due to the film's focus on character even as it transforms into a gore-filled splatterfest. After being kidnapped and restrained for the film's first half, Abigail shifts gears when it reveals that the titular little girl is actually a vampire, building to Abigail's grisly ending. It's a solid turn that drives the rest of the film. However, it's also a strikingly similar twist to what occurred in From Dusk 'Till Dawn.

Directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Quentin Tarantino (who also starred in the film), From Dusk 'Till Dawn remains a unique entry within the filmography of both creatives. The film's second half embraces the supernatural and turns a more grounded story into a bloody horror flick. Both movies even utilize a structurally similar reveal when they transform — although Abigail's cast and characters help ensure the new film pulls off the turn better than From Dusk 'Till Dawn.

Abigail & From Dusk Till Dawn Both Use Vampire Twists To Change Genres

Both Films Transform From A Crime-Thriller Into A Gory Horror Film

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Abigail and From Dusk 'Till Dawn utilize the same tonal genre shift plot twist, with both films initially presenting themselves as crime-trillers before becoming vampire-filled horror films. Released in 1996, From Dusk 'Till Dawn focuses on Seth and Richie Gecko, a pair of criminal brothers who kidnap an innocent family. The film initially comes across as a dark character-drama, focusing on the tension between the characters as they wait at a bar for the Gecko brother's criminal contact. However, the film takes a hard turn when the bar turns out to house vampires.

Abigail and From Dusk 'Till Dawn utilize a very similar genre trick, catching the characters (and the audience) off-guard by shifting gears and becoming a very different type of movie. Both films initially present themselves as grounded thrillers with morally ambiguous leads. However, that drama gives way to a more openly bizarre and action-filled second half once the vampires are introduced. In this way, From Dusk 'till Dawn bears as much of a similarity to Abigail as the new film shares with Universal's Dracula's Daughter, the classic monster movie that initially inspired the concept behind the movie.

Related John Hughes' 39-Year-Old Comedy Classic Gets An Unexpected Remake In Critically Acclaimed New Horror Movie Universal's new vampire horror movie, Abigail, takes plenty of inspiration from a classic John Hughes movie from the 1980s – with a bloody twist.

Why Abigail's Vampire Twist Is Better Than From Dusk 'Till Dawn's

Abigail Retains A Better Character Focus Than From Dusk 'Till Dawn

Abigail benefits from a more contained premise and setting than From Dusk 'Till Dawn, especially after the plot twist. After Abigail's vampire twist, the film refrains from expanding the cast of characters over time, keeping the focus on the central characters and their reactions to the changed situation. By contrast, From Dusk 'Till Dawn uses their arrival at the vampire-filled bar to introduce purposefully wacky takes on action archetypes, such as Fred Williamson as the grizzled veteran Frost or Tom Savini as the gun-toting Sex Machine. It leans too hard into horror at the expense of a compelling first act.

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When From Dusk 'Till Dawn embraces an over-the-top campy vibe, it loses much of the film's stronger dramatic beats. Abigail remains more focused and keeps the characters center-stage. This makes the increasing stakes of Abigail's second half more impactful. The shift in story feels less disconnected from the film's first half as a result, too. From Dusk 'Till Dawn is fun but feels entirely different once it introduces vampires. By contrast, Abigail benefits from the more grounded first act that keeps the stronger moments and elements of that first half even as the film becomes increasingly over-the-top and gory.