We might not be getting a new “Scream 7” starring Melissa Barrera, but given the way Spyglass messed up that whole situation and alienated all its fans, probably killing the franchise in the process, we got the next best thing that’s arguably even better. Cue the veil of mystery coming off Radio Silence’s new previously untitled monster movie, now revealed to be titled “Abigail.”
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Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, aka the duo known as Radio Silence, known for “Ready Or Not,” and revitalizing the “Scream” franchise with 2022’s “Scream” and its follow-up “Scream VI,” their latest features an ensemble cast of Melissa Barrera, Alisha Weir, Dan Stevens, Kevin Durand, Kathryn Newton, Will Catlett, Giancarlo Esposito and Angus Cloud (in a posthumous film appearance).
Rumored to be inspired, at least in some regard, by the 1936 Universal film “Dracula’s Daughter,” the film centers on a group of kidnappers who come to realize that one of the girls they have abducted is something much more terrifying than they expected.
Written by Stephen Shields and Guy Busick, the film evidently first went under the title of “Abducting Abigail,” but obviously, that’s been changed. As the trailer shows, Barrera is one of the kidnappers, and while the group thinks they are abducting her, they soon discover it’s actually they who are the victims here.
Universal previously said the movie was “a unique take on legendary monster lore and will represent a fresh, new direction for how to celebrate these classic characters,” and that certainly jibes with the idea that the film may have been loosely based on “Dracula’s Daughter.”
Here’s the official synopsis, and note: the vampiric elements of the film only enter the trailer midway.
After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl.
“Abigail” is scheduled for release by Universal Pictures on April 19, 2024. Check out the first trailer below.