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Cult horror is a lot like shark horror. It\u2019s been done before, and it\u2019s been done so remarkably well, every subsequent entry is, almost by default, stuck living in its oppressive, seductive shadow. Sean Durkin\u2019s Martha Marcy May Marlene, featuring the debut of Elizabeth Olsen<\/a>, remains the most startling, haunting cult genre film ever made. Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala\u2019s The Lodge<\/a> doubled-down on the horror, and it ranks among the century\u2019s best because of that. That puts Cassie Keet\u2019s Abigail Before Beatrice, screening at this year\u2019s Brooklyn Horror Fest, at an innate disadvantage. There\u2019s so much that works, but I\u2019ve heard its scripture before.<\/p>\n Still, Abigail Before Beatrice has one key strength, and that\u2019s Olivia Taylor Dudley\u2019s<\/a> The nuance of her post-cult trauma propels Abigail Before Beatrice through the conventional cult rhythms we\u2019ve seen a dozen times before. There\u2019s a rural farm, an incredulously seductive white man, and lots of transcendental hooey about being chosen, destined for something bigger than the dregs of normal society would ever allow. It\u2019s sinister and opaque at the same time, and while that\u2019s a strength, it also lacks resonance. When conceptualizing what a cult is, especially in the United States, it\u2019s rarely of the explicitly insidious variety depicted in film. Abigail Before Beatrice wants to unnerve with shocking genre elements and violence, undermining its early, more nuanced strengths.<\/p>\n There\u2019s efficacy in the horror of other people, and for the first third, Beatrice is in the present, navigating an unmoored life beyond the cult. She grapples with newfound love, residual substance use, and a profound, painful sense of loneliness and isolation. That\u2019s resonant and haunting. Weird rituals under the moonlight are less so. That\u2019s artifice, yet Abigail Before Beatrice is at its best when it eschews embellishment for distinctly human fears.<\/p>\n The context is engaging. True crime podcasts<\/a>. Unanswered questions. Dudley\u2019s broken visage, so painful, yet so familiar, it\u2019s impossible to turn away from. Her performance remains perfect, even when Abigail Before Beatrice is too eager to block her in increasingly genre-themed scenes. Cult leader Grayson (Shane Herndon) is obviously bad news, and the provocative modulations of his mood instill more terror than a blade to another member\u2019s throat. Stick a knife in Jonestown already, please.<\/p>\n All in all, Abigail Before Beatrice is an uneven bag. Dudley shines beyond belief, and Keets\u2019 script is often well-realized, instilling strong verisimilitude and universality into an otherwise singular story. It\u2019s the commercial demands that hold it back. So, while this cult may have amounted to little, something tells me Keet and Dudley will lead us into the promised land their next go-round.<\/p>\n Summary<\/p>\n Olivia Taylor Dudley is a true sensation.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTags: Brooklyn Horror Film Festival<\/a> <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Abigail-Before-Beatrice-still-1.jpg\")
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(The Magicians) eponymous Beatrice. This is the best Dudley has ever been before, and without the indie circuit constraints, a just world would recognize Dudley as part of this year\u2019s larger awards conversation. She\u2019s not just exceptional, all things considered\u2014it\u2019s a transcendent, textured, and overwhelmingly considered performance. I don\u2019t use all-timer lightly, but, yeah, Dudley is more than the real deal here.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Abigail-Before-Beatrice-poster-1.jpg\")
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