Loved Abigail? These 3 films are just as bloody and action-packed!

Abigail is one heck of a horror film, isn’t it? It’s funny, brutal, fast-paced and features gallons of bloodshed. I personally loved it, and wanted to recommend some films that have a similar feel to it. No slow burns here!

Abigail was brought to us by Radio Silence, who also created the bang-up action-packed Ready or Not back in 2019; and that’s the first recommendation on my short list.

Ready or Not (2019)

Ready or Not stars Samara Weaving (The Babysitter) as Grace, a new bride who has agreed to hold the wedding ceremony at her fiancée Alex’s opulent family home. Afterwards, she is asked to participate in a family tradition. Alex’s family own and operate the hugely successful Le Domas Family Games Company, and after each wedding, the family members gather at midnight to draw a card from a puzzle box. Grace pulls a card titled “Hide and Seek”, and is told she must hide while to remaining family members try to find her.

Sounds innocent enough, right? Still in her wedding gown, Grace sets off to find a good hiding spot, and quickly discovers that this game is for keeps. It seems the family has struck up a deal in which they are guaranteed success as long as they keep up the tradition. Whenever a new family member picks the Hide and Seek Card, the others must find them before dawn and sacrifice them. Otherwise, they will all die.

Like Abigail, Ready or Not is fast-paced and brutal. People are shot, crushed via dumb waiter and even explode (literally), so the blood flows and sprays copiously. Samara Weaving is fantastic as Grace, and the final shot of the film is iconic.

• Where to stream: Currently only available to rent/buy on demand

Violent Night (2022)

Violent Night is the whole package: an action-packed, brutal, bloody, fun CHRISTMAS movie…who could ask for more? It stars David Harbour (Stranger Things) as a grumpy, drunk Santa Claus, who just happens to be THE Santa Claus. That’s right, Santa is real (and really disgruntled). On Christmas Eve, Santa has decided that he has had enough and this will be the last year he delivers toys. Kids these days aren’t appreciative, and nobody has the holiday spirit anymore.

Santa is in for a surprise when he lands his sleigh on the roof of the Lightstone Mansion, because the wealthy family are being held hostage by a group of criminals. Many of the family members are completely obnoxious, but little Trudy (Leah Brady) is sweet and filled with holiday spirit, and her estranged parents clearly love her and are trying to negotiate co-parenting.

There is so much to love in Violent Night – the extreme violence, the mercenaries with their Christmas-related code names, Trudy and Santa communicating via walkie-talkies, John Leguizamo oozing meanness, Beverly D’Angelo paying homage to National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and of course, Harbour’s Santa kicking tail as he tries to save Trudy. Did I mention he has a Viking hammer he named Skullcrusher?

• Where to stream: Peacock

You're Next (2013)

You’re Next doesn’t feature as much comic relief as Abigail, Ready or Not or Violent Night, but it definitely equals them in action and bloodshed. Said bloodshed occurs only a few minutes into the film, as a couple are killed with a machete.

Then we meet Crispian and Erin (A. J. Bowen and Sharni Vinson), arriving at his family’s vacation home for a reunion. Also there are Crispian’s parents, brother Drake and his wife, and his younger brother and sister with their significant others.

Things are tense within the family, but they still try to enjoy a nice dinner, which is interrupted by a crossbow arrow exploding into the window and killing one of them. Obviously, chaos ensues as the family members seek cover, while also trying to figure out what to do next.

As the group of killers, each wearing animal masks, continue to terrorize the family members, Erin begins to demonstrate some helpful skills she learned from her survivalist father. The intruders soon find themselves being picked off.

Horror icon Barbara Crampton appears as Crispian’s mother Aubrey, and Joe Swanberg puts in a standout performance as brother Drake. But really, the star of the show is Vinson, who makes Erin a total bada**.

Each of these films is set inside a mansion, packed with great characters, and best of all, they feature fast-paced violence that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats.

• Where to stream: Currently only available to rent/buy on demand (also on Cinemax for those have that)

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