Melissa Barrera has been making interesting choices with her projects since her breakout role in the 2021 musical In the Heights. The actress entered the Scream franchise as Sam Carpenter who has an intriguing connection to the original Scream film. She and Jenna Ortega played the Carpenter sisters and starred in both 2022’s Scream and 2023’s Scream VI.
Unfortunately, Barrera was fired from Scream 7 due to her controversial political statements which led to various setbacks in the pre-production process of the film. However, Barrera has pursued other exciting projects and has the vampire-horror film Abigail coming soon. The reviews of the film have started to come in and it seems Barrera has another hit on her hands.
Abigail’s Positive Reviews is Great News for Melissa Barrera After Her Scream Fiasco
Melissa Barrera‘s career took a hit when she was fired from Scream 7 due to her comments about the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, which were deemed antisemitic (via The Hollywood Reporter). Audiences were divided on the controversy and Barrera has since moved on from that mess and has a new film coming up in the form of Abigail.
The vampire-horror film from Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett reunites the directors and Barrera after working together on Scream and Scream VI. The reviews of the film have started coming out and people are praising the campy yet terrifying nature of the film. This has been a continuing trend in the directors” resume ever since Ready or Not.
Comicbook.com’s Brandon Davis posted his review of the film on X and lauded the vicious and entertaining nature of the film. He gave a shout to Barrera and Dan Stevens’ performances along with its clever script. He wrote,
“Yo #Abigail is my favorite horror movie in a fat minute. It’s hilariously vicious and so bloody entertaining. Melissa Barrera and Dan Stevens are great in it. It’s clever, ridiculous, and just fantastic. I jumped, laughed, had a ball. Go see it.”
Yo #Abigail is my favorite horror movie in a fat minute.
It’s hilariously vicious and so bloody entertaining. Melissa Barrera and Dan Stevens are great in it. It’s clever, ridiculous, and just fantastic. I jumped, laughed, had a ball. Go see it. pic.twitter.com/14byhVGfEu
— BD (@BrandonDavisBD) April 16, 2024
Other fans also chimed in and shared Davis’s sentiments about the film. Here are what other people said, who were blown away by Abigail:
#Abigail gets a big ole, “Fuck yeah” from me. I’m generally not the biggest horror fan, but this film has it all: laughs, gore, and a stellar ensemble. Pinky promise you’ll see this in theaters this weekend! It’s a total BLAST.
— Law⚡️ (@LawJSharma) April 16, 2024
Abigail is a hilariously gory romp that banks on a memorable ensemble cast and a witty screenplay that invigorates vampire tropes with a refreshing drollness. Our review: https://t.co/a7b2ObN7bP pic.twitter.com/yfNegZQaQn
— IGN (@IGN) April 15, 2024
#AbigailTheMovie is a new vampire movie from the guys at Radio Silence. As a massive fan of vampire flicks that balance carnage with fun, this movie gave me everything I wanted and more.https://t.co/M1lNCondYo pic.twitter.com/xW75u95lzq
— Cody Leach (@CodyLeachYT) April 7, 2024
ABIGAIL is pure bloodsoaked popcorn fun. It takes READY OR NOT & asks “what if instead of one lady vs a country house full of crooks, we have a country house full of crooks vs a vampire ballerina?”#Abigail #AbigailTheMovie
Premiere review on @letterboxd:https://t.co/YPx1JKrqjE— Whitlock And Pope 🏳️⚧️🤘 (@WhitlockAndPope) April 12, 2024
“Melissa Barrera shows she doesn’t need the #Scream franchise to be a killer final girl – this is her best work to date.”#AbigailTheMovie
From this #Abigail review:https://t.co/1r0HqKtXRb— Saoirse Destroy (@SaoirseDestroy) April 12, 2024
Barrera is also getting a lot of praise for her work in the film. This looks like a potential big hit for the actress and deservedly so, as she is a very talented movie star. After her recent controversy, the success of Abigail where she works with filmmakers who utilize her strengths is the perfect comeback.
Abigail Directors Were Excited to Mesh Heist Elements With a Horror Film
Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, collectively known as Radio Silence, are back with another horror film Abigail. The film chronicles a group of criminals tasked with kidnapping a young girl to get a big paycheck. Little do they know that the girl is a wicked vampire ready to spill the blood of her captors.
Gillett talked to Screenrant about what drew them to the film. He and Olpin were very interested in the exciting blend of a heist film along with the wild and bloody monster movie. This brought so many fun possibilities for the plot of the film with many twists and surprising character moments. He said,
“It was just so inspiring for us to not only get to mash up a heist movie and a monster movie, but to have a character at the center of it who seems to be innocent, helpless, and who is literally anything but, both of those things. It was just so fun. There were so many opportunities for twists and turns and fun sequences and fun character moments. We were just sold from jump.”
The film stars Alisha Weir as the titular character along with Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, William Catlett, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud, and Giancarlo Esposito. The film has received positive reviews and currently has an 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Abigail hits theaters on April 19, 2024.
