Two New Horror Movies Have Quietly Built Their Own Shared Universe
A fiercely capable woman with ice water in her veins finds herself in a creepy-looking mansion, where she has to survive a supernatural threat over the course of one endless night and eventually ends up covered in gore and viscera? If I had a nickel for every time a horror movie directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (aka Radio Silence) came out in the last five years with that exact same premise, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but you know how the rest of the meme goes. If this past weekend's "Abigail" triggered a nagging feeling of déjà vu, well, that's probably because the vampire movie packing a nasty bite (you can read /Film's review by BJ Colangelo here) shares quite a bit of DNA with the directing duo's previous movie, 2019's "Ready or Not."
Apparently, the creative team decided to lean into those similarities even more.
Nobody can blame Radio Silence for indulging themselves a bit with their latest film, which features the talents of leading lady Melissa Barrera. The two filmmakers burst onto the scene in 2019 with the Samara Weaving-led horror-comedy and ensured they'd stay there for good when they followed up that effort with two installments of "Scream," revitalizing the slasher franchise and raking in millions of dollars in profits at the same time. So when it came to turning "Abigail" into yet another winner (in our hearts, at least, if not at the box office) the pair admitted in a recent interview that they snuck in a bit of connective tissue that technically means both films could take place within the same shared universe, of sorts.
Minor spoilers follow.
Keeping it in the family
Here's a great excuse to revisit "Abigail" while it's still in theaters and pour over every minor detail in each scene, in the hopes of catching the very sneaky Easter egg that directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett slipped into the background. Without giving away precisely where to find this tidbit, the pair spoke to Collider in a recent interview (via Bloody Disgusting) and revealed the extremely fun reference they made sure to include amid all the blood-gushing action. According to Bettinelli-Olpin, "There is a portrait in the background of one of the scenes [in 'Abigail'] of Henry Czerny's [character from 'Ready or Not']." Gillett followed up by explaining the exact family connection to Czerny's loathsome and wealthy patriarch Tony Le Domas:
"It would be a grandfather. A great, great, great, great grandfather."
Now, was this just a fun little gag from a previously well-received horror flick that otherwise doesn't mean much, or are we on the cusp of our next great cinematic universe of final girls stuck in gothic mansions while fighting for their lives? While still playing coy, Bettinelli-Olpin at least hinted at the idea, stating, "There is a little bit of a tie to the 'Ready or Not' universe within the movie." That probably won't be enough to satisfy the cravings of most horror fans, but we're totally here for Radio Silence enjoying their victory lap after crafting yet another crowd-pleasing, gory, and surprisingly hilarious thrill ride (shout-out to acting MVP and constant scene-stealer Kevin Durand). The future of original horror sure seems safe in Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett's capable hands.
"Abigail" is currently playing in theaters.