A new entry in the very specific horror genre of one-named children wreaking bloody havoc on unsuspecting adults has arrived.
On Thursday, Universal Pictures dropped the trailer for Abigail, the latest nightmare from Scream directing duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, William Catlett, Giancarlo Esposito, Kevin Durand, and Euphoria breakout Angus Cloud, who tragically passed away from an accidental drug overdose last year, star as a group of criminals charged with managing a hostage situation gone very wrong. The young ballerina (Alisha Weir) they’re hired to kidnap and hold for ransom turns out to be a ravenous vampire who enjoys playing with her food, hence the whole fake-abduction plot. The crew must survive the night trapped in a mansion with the little monster while figuring out how to avoid becoming her midnight snack.
Campy, gruesome horror has done well for Universal in the past with last year’s Blumhouse project, M3GAN, proving to be a surprise hit despite waning theater attendance and its weirdly-timed release. Abigail is hoping to drum up similar buzz and its first trailer — a dizzying action-packed dance, which is reportedly somewhat based on Dracula’s Daughter (1936), filled with blood, gore, and some terrific one-liners — looks ripe for the memeage.