Abigail Makes Melissa Barrera A Perfect Replacement For An Iconic Vampire Movie Character

Warning: Spoilers for Abigail!

The new horror movie Abigail takes inspiration from Universal’s Dracula history, and Melissa Barrera’s character parallels a notable figure from these vampire stories. The film, directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, follows the story of six anonymous criminals who kidnap a powerful crime lord’s daughter in order to ransom her for millions of dollars. The plan orchestrated by Abigail‘s “Rat Pack” goes awry when it turns out that the daughter, the titular Abigail, is actually a vampire and begins picking off the criminals one by one.

The film then plays with many of the tropes and conventions of vampire storytelling. Abigail‘s characters are trapped within a large upstate New York mansion, which calls back to the “Big Dark House” subgenre of horror films from the 1930s and 1940s that are often associated with stories like Dracula. The group attempts to defeat Abigail with garlic and crucifixes but discovers that sunlight is her only weakness. This eventually culminates in Joey (Melissa Barrera) taking on an iconic role made famous by Dracula.

Melissa Barrera’s Joey Becomes Abigail’s Version Of Van Helsing

Abigail’s “Rat Pack” deliberately keeps details about their personal lives vague, but Joey is later revealed to be a former Army medic and recovering drug addict. The reveal proves useful within the story, and it also sets up a modern parallel with the character of Abraham Van Helsing through Abigiail‘s ending. In Bram Stoker’s original novel Dracula, Van Helsing was a professor and doctor whose knowledge of folklore proved useful in the battle against Count Dracula.

In the novel, his medical background was a big part of the character’s appeal, as it allowed him to take a scientific approach towards vampire hunting and rooted Dracula in the knowledge of the time period. When it was published, the novel was an attempt at creating a more grounded and realistic version of a vampire story, and Abigail attempts to do something similar. It eliminates some of the lore around vampires and presents the world as more grounded than some other vampire tales. Joey plays into this image of a more realistic vampire hunter, becoming a modernized version of Van Helsing in Abigail.

Melissa Barrera’s Van Helsing Replacement Sets Up Abigail 2’s Perfect Story

Joey is the sole survivor and manages to slay some of the vampires created by Abigail, though not Abigail herself. The two actually help each other, and Abigail’s appeal to her father is what causes him to allow Joey to leave. This can potentially set up an exciting story for Abigail 2. Joey now has knowledge and experience with the vampires, and a continuation of this story could draw her back into this world as other characters seek her expertise as they deal with their own vampire problems.

Joey’s connection to Abigail can be further explored, and her son could also be a motivating factor for the character’s return. If Joey’s son is potentially threatened, placed in danger, or even used as leverage in a similar way that Joey attempts to use Abigail in this film, then she would have no choice but to get involved. Abigail sets up Joey’s future for a Van Helsing-like role, and Melissa Barrera’s star power and talent mean that a potential sequel is incredibly likely.