Abigail: child vampire horror falls prey to antiquated gender stereotypes

Warning: this article contains spoilers for Abigail.

The horror film Abigail sets out to offer a new and refreshing perspective on the vampire tradition. Gone are the male Draculas of old and the fetishised lesbian vampires of the 2000s that haunted the vampiric horror genre in films like Jennifer’s Body (2009). Instead, the titular Abigail (Alisha Weir) is a young ballerina – the picture of childlike innocence.

Child vampires are rare in film, though the commercial success of M3gan (2022)...