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Podcast: ‘Abigail’ Gets Uncertified

Kathryn Newton Abigail

Universal Pictures

Do you wish more movie podcasts could be finished in a single sitting? Us too! That's why Certified Forgotten is kicking off Uncertified, a 30-minute, biweekly series that dives into newer releases and contemporary horror films. For starters, we're digging into Abigail, the latest release from horror collective Radio Silence.

When a group of not-so-hardened criminals are hired to kidnap and babysit the daughter of a local businessman, they assume the job will be easy money. But having not seen the trailer for their own movie, they cannot possibly know that the girl is, in fact, a ballerina vampire. Now, this ragtag group of rejects with standout performances from modern horror icons like Dan Stevens, Melissa Berrera, and Kathryn Newton must survive the night or become a blood-filled treat for an undead child.

In this short excerpt from the episode, Monagle explains why the cast's willingness to lean into the absurdity of the film is Abigail's biggest strength:

"What makes this movie work so well, but just sort of in general — the throughline of a lot of the work that [Radio Silence has] done is they're working with actors that are doing horror but are not horror actors. Like, Dan Stevens is a fucking star. I don't care if Hollywood casting directors agree with me or not. But he is a conventional leading man. He could carry franchises. The same could be said of Berrera, same could be said of Newton — these are incredibly talented leading actors, but they're twisted little fucks. They have fun making horror movies."

The Abigail mini-episode of the Certified Forgotten podcast is now available to stream on SpotifyApple Podcasts, or the podcast platform of your choice.

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