Abigail
introduces a contemporary spin on Dracula’s Daughter
, with refined nods to the enduring vampire all through the movie.
Ana Lucía Cruz’s title in Abigail
cleverly references Dracula lore, hinting at her final destiny as the only real survivor.
Abigail
is a unfastened reimagining of the basic Dracula’s Daughter
idea, showcasing Common’s new artistic spins on basic monsters.
Warning: This text incorporates spoilers for Abigail.Abigail has lastly hit theaters and has been a delight for audiences and critics. Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, beforehand greatest recognized for steering Prepared or Not and Scream VI, the duo was confirmed to be engaged on an untitled Common Monster whose synopsis described it as “a novel tackle legendary monster lore and can symbolize a contemporary, new course for the right way to rejoice basic characters.”
When the trailer for Abigail was launched, it was clear that it was a brand new spin on Dracula’s Daughter, a sequel to one in all Common’s most well-known film monsters. Whereas Dracula has been entrance and middle in lots of Common movies, together with two reimaginings in 2023 with Renfield and The Final Voyage of the Demeter, Dracula’s Daughter has been one Common has virtually executed nothing with.
That’s till Abigail. Dracula himself isn’t really talked about by title within the movie, and the viewers is supposed to deduce it. The movie is crammed with references to Dracula, most notably the inclusion of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Music” from Swan Lake, which was used as the principle theme for 1931’s Dracula and is the track Abigail dances to when she kills. One of many largest Easter eggs to the Dracula mythos really comes within the title of Melissa Barrera’s character, which audiences do not discover out till properly into the film.
Abigail focuses on a gaggle of criminals that kidnap the daughter of a high-up crime boss, hoping to carry her for ransom, and are supposed to spend 24 hours in an outdated deserted mansion. Like Reservoir Canines, the characters are all given code names and are usually not meant to reveal their actual names.
There may be Joey (Melissa Barrera), Frank (Dan Stevens), Sammy (Kathryn Newton), Peter (Kevin Durnard), Dean (Angus Cloud), and Rickles (Will Catlett). Their names and the group’s code title is a reference to the Rat Pack, a well-liked casual group of musicians and performers within the Nineteen Fifties and Nineteen Sixties that included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, and Peter Lawford, with comic Don Rickles as an unofficial member who was typically seen as adjoining to them.
Nonetheless, it seems the woman they’ve kidnapped, Abigail (Alisha Weir), reveals herself to be not solely a vampire however the one who orchestrated the kidnapping. She deliberate to seek out and kill the individuals who screwed over her father’s legal empire to realize his consideration. Ultimately, Abigail begins revealing everybody’s actual title and backstory. She lastly will get to Joey and reveals her title is definitely Ana Lucía Cruz. Whereas this won’t seem to be a lot on the floor, this title has a number of layers to the Dracula mythology, and it was an concept from star Melissa Barrera and the movie’s director.
Hidden That means Behind the Identify in Abigail
Ana Lucia Cruz has three connections to the Dracula franchise, two which are intentional by the filmmakers and one which appears to be a cheerful accident. The primary title, “Ana Lucia,” was chosen as a reference to Lucy Westenra, who in Bram Stoker’s novel falls prey to Dracula, turns into a vampire herself, and has been portrayed that manner in lots of movies. This could point out that Ana Lucia Cruz will fall sufferer, however the movie then subverts this trope by making her the only real survivor.
The character of Lucy indicating a sufferer is offset by the surname “Cruz.” In Spanish and Portuguese, Cruz interprets to cross or crucifix, one of many signature weapons for repelling a vampire. It was really Bram Stoker who launched in Dracula {that a} cross may repel a vampire. Whereas Abigail appears to point crosses do not really work, it’s a intelligent reference to assist point out that she would be the one to outlive. Mixing the title of one in all Dracula’s most well-known victims with a weapon typically recognized to repel him is a intelligent Easter egg.
Dracula’s daughter, Abigail, seems to be a sadistic killer and a chip off the outdated block in her upcoming characteristic movie.
These had been intentional by Barrera and the directing duo of Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett. But the title Ana additionally has ties to the Dracula franchise, particularly Common’s model in a contemporary context. Within the 2004 movie Van Helsing, Kate Beckinsale performs Anna Valerious, the final descendant of an historical Romanian household whose household can’t enter heaven till they vanquish Dracula. That movie’s primary plot revolves round Dracula making an attempt to liven up his undead youngsters in what was, on the time, Common’s most overt reference to the Daughter of Dracula movie. Van Helsing was Common Footage‘ first try and relaunch their basic monsters, and now, 20 years later, Abigail is trying to do it as soon as extra.
Abigail’s Connections to Dracula’s Daughter
When Abigail was formally confirmed to be about a younger vampire, it was reported the film was a reimagining of Dracula’s Daughter, and the movie was even shot below the code title. It is a humorous connection since Abigail options characters concealing their true identification utilizing code names, and Abigail, the movie itself, used the code title of a well-liked movie. But other than the truth that each films revolve round a younger vampire who’s the “daughter” of Dracula, the 2 films don’t have anything in frequent. That may be why Abigail doesn’t have a “primarily based on” credit score current in it, as it’s primarily an authentic concept that simply occurs to be primarily based on the daughter of Dracula.
Abigail herself is not even a reference to the unique Dracula’s Daughter. Launched in 1936,Dracula’s Daughter‘s title character was named Countess Marya Zaleska and was an grownup girl. Each Mayra and Abigail are turned by Dracula and are thought-about his youngsters, however that’s the place the similarities to the flicks finish. So Abigail is a reimagining of the idea of Dracula’s Daughter and can be thought-about a really unfastened remake since they share the fundamental idea of the vampire daughter of Dracula however don’t have anything extra in frequent.
Abigial is only a latest instance of Common Footage permitting filmmakers to place new artistic spins on their basic monsters following February’s Lisa Frankenstein, which is able to quickly embrace December’s Nosferatu and January 2024’s The Wolfman. Abigail does what 2017’s The Mummy did not do: put a contemporary spin on an outdated Common monster IP. Abigail is taking part in in theaters now.
