The following contains spoilers for Abigail, now playing in theaters
Abigail is an exciting new take on a classic horror movie concept, but it also might quietly have connections to Radio Silence’s prior film, Ready Or Not. Both films were directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (collaboratively known as Radio Silence), and they share many baseline elements. Although Abigail is about a vampiric little girl and Ready Or Not is rooted in violent acts taken by the rich to ensure their continued power, both films embrace an over-the-top approach to melding gory horror and slapstick comedy.
The two films utilize a creepy manor as their principal setting and each use a similar game of cat-and-mouse targeting Ready Or Not and Abigail‘s main characters. Abigail has enough unique flourishes to fully stand out. Instead of feeling like a retread of Ready Or Not, Abigail feels like an expansion of the themes and concept, taken in a new direction. The connections between the films may be more than just cosmetic and thematic, however. An easter egg hidden in the film — coupled with the revelations from Abigail‘s ending — suggest the films may be genuinely connected.
Related
Universal’s New Horror Movie Confirms Dracula’s Perfect Character Replacement After 127 Years
2024’s Abigail is an exciting reimagining of the vampire horror subgenre, potentially showing the best way to replace a classic character.
Abigail’s Ready Or Not Easter Egg Suggests The Movies Exist In The Same Universe
How The Two Horror Films Could Share A Universe
The directors of Abigail and Ready Or Not confirmed an easter egg in Abigail hints at a shared universe for the films. During an interview with Collider, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett confirmed that there’s a direct reference to Ready Or Not hidden in Abigail. It turns out that in the manor where Lambert orders his criminal gang to bring the captured Abigail, there’s a portrait of an ancestor to Tony Le Domas, potentially even Victor le Domas himself. Played by Henry Czerny in Ready or Not, Tony is the modern-day owner of Le Domas Gaming Dominion.
That film steadily revealed that the Le Domas family rose to power with demonic help, thanks to a deal struck between Victor le Domas and the devil known as le Bail. The plot of Ready or Not focuses on the family trying to maintain their infernal bargain by sacrificing Grace, only for her to prove capable of staying ahead of their efforts. The portrait of a le Domas patriarch in the mansion that belongs to Kristof Lazar suggests that the two families may have known one another, or that Lazar was even a personal acquaintance of Victor.
Related
Abigail’s “Rat Pack” Explained: Every Character’s Real Identity, Backstory & Role In The Heist
Abigail’s heist crew members are given aliases based on the real Rat Pack, but their backstories, true identities, and crimes are later disclosed.
Why It Makes Sense Abigail Would Exist In Ready Or Not’s Universe
The Connection Goes Beyond Genre & Style
The connection between the two horror films makes sense, even beyond their shared filmmakers and overall themes. Both films utilize a harsh and lethal form of horror that often leaves piles of exploded gore instead of simple corpses. The similar result of the Le Domas family and vampires in Abigail‘s brutal deaths suggests a connection that goes beyond the superficially supernatural. Although Abigail focuses on vampires and Ready Or Not implies a demonic entity at the heart of the story, the shared deaths hint at a shared consequence for tampering with unearthly forces.
Given the lengthy lifespan and clear dark power of a vampire like Lazar, it’s possible the vampire was even a player in the deal that led to the rise of the Le Domas family. It’s an interesting reveal, as it suggests the darker forces moving behind the scenes. It could also set up a slew of other types of horror stories set in the same universe. Similar to how the Universal Monster Movies created a shared cinematic universe almost a century ago, Abigail and Ready Or Not could lay the seeds for a larger universe of monsters and horrors.
Source: Collider
Abigail (2024)
*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
Abigail is a 2024 horror thriller directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. The plot follows a group of people who kidnap the daughter of a dangerous crime lord only to discover that the little girl is actually a vicious vampire out for blood. Alisha Weir stars as the titular character alongside Kathryn Newton, Melissa Barrera, and Dan Stevens.
- Director
-
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin
, Tyler Gillett - Writers
-
Guy Busick
, Stephen Shields - Cast
-
Kathryn Newton
, Dan Stevens
, Giancarlo Esposito
, Kevin Durand
, Melissa Barrera
, Alisha Weir
, Angus Cloud
, William Catlett