Scream directors' new vampire horror Abigail is so bloody, they spent the majority of the shoot apologizing to the actors

Feb. 28, 2024

Exclusive: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett tease what to expect from their new take on Universal’s classic monster

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Screamdirectors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s new horror movie Abigail issobloody, they felt genuinely bad for constantly dousing their actors in the sticky red stuff on set.

“All of our movies are bloody,” the filmmakers tellTotal Film in our new issueout this Friday, which features Road House on the cover. “[But] I would say that this is definitely the most bloody. We spent a lot of time apologizing to our actors on this movie!

“I mean, blood is in the DNA of a vampire movie, and the amount of blood work in this one is… It’s pretty extreme!” Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett, whose previous works include Southbound andReady or Not, continued. “But it’s still fun.”

Starring Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, and Matilda breakout Alisha Weir in the titular role, the film follows a ragtag team of kidnappers who realize too late that the 12-year-old girl they’ve been asked to keep captive isn’t just the daughter of a powerful criminal; she’s a vampire, and a ballet-dancing one at that.

Kathryn Newton, Giancarlo Esposito, Kevin Durand, and the late Angus Cloud round out the cast. In Total Film’s exclusive image above, you can see the cluster of crooks as they arrive at the place where they’re supposed to hide Abigail. In other words, it’s a shot from the start of the movie before everything goes seriously,seriouslysideways…

Abigail is released on April 19. And you can read more about it and a whole lot else besides in the new issue of Total Film when it hits shelves and digital newsstands on Friday, March 1. This is one day later than usual, due to how the Leap Year falls.

Check out the covers below:

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Jamie Graham is the Editor-at-Large of Total Film magazine. You’ll likely find them around these parts reviewing the biggest films on the planet and speaking to some of the biggest stars in the business – that’s just what Jamie does. Jamie has also written for outlets like SFX and the Sunday Times Culture, and appeared on podcasts exploring the wondrous worlds of occult and horror.

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