For a long time, rumor had it “Abigail” was a remake of Lambert Hillyer’s extremely queer-coded 1936 Universal monster horror classic “Dracula’s Daughter.” However, assuming that was ever the case earlier on in its development, it appears the movie has since taken on a life of its own and evolved into an entirely original story about the blood-thirsty daughter of, presumably, an older creature of the night. Or maybe this trailer is holding back more information than it seems and Abigail’s old man will, in fact, turn out to be Count Dracula himself. Either way, the preview’s “Ready or Not” vibes have left me wanting to get this thing into my eyeballs as soon as possible.
Melissa Barrera, who previously anchored Radio SIlence’s “Scream” films before she was removed from the franchise for allegedly sharing an antisemitic post on social media, stars in “Abigail” opposite Scream King Dan Stevens and up-and-coming Scream Queen Kathryn Newton, as well as William Catlett, Kevin Durand, Giancarlo Esposito, and the late Angus Cloud, with Alisha Weir (“Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical”) rounding out the ensemble as the titular vampire. We’ll see what these folks have cooked up when “Abigail” sinks its fangs into theaters on April 19, 2024.
