Summary

• Universal's Abigail outshines Renfield with a strong Rotten Tomatoes score.
• Radio Silence impresses with a modern twist on Dracula's Daughter tale in Abigail, supported by the top-class cast achieving an 84% Tomatometer score.
• Radio Silence have followed up their previous horror success with Scream to revive Universal's horror movies.

Universal’s latest addition to their alternative solution to the defunct Dark Universe, Abigail, has proven itself to have more bite with critics than last year’s Nicolas Cage vampire movie Renfield with a strong Rotten Tomatoes score. Universal have been steadily building a collection of movies that re-imagine their classic monsters such as Dracula, the Invisible Man and the Wolf Man in contemporary settings following the demise of their planned cinematic universe back in 2017. After a ropey run with last year’s Dracula outing of Renfield, the new release of Abigail has found the mark once again.

Radio Silence, the filmmaking collective known for redefining horror with a fresh twist with their work on the Scream franchise and Ready or Not, has once again proven their mettle as the helmers of Abigail. The film brings a modern flair to Universal’s own Dracula's Daughter tale. As well as delivering a strong, gory tale with Matilda: The Musical’s Alisha Weir as the titular little girl who is much more than meets the eye, the youngster is supported by a top-class cast. That ensemble includes former Scream star Melissa Barrera, Godzilla x Kong’s Dan Stevens, Lisa Frankenstein’s Kathryn Newton, the late Angus Cloud in one of his final roles, and Breaking Bad’s villainous Giancarlo Esposito. Co-directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, half of the Radio Silence quartet that includes Justin Martinez and Chad Villella, Abigail has seemingly landed them another hit.

Abigail drew a solid Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score of 84% from its initial run of reviews, which continues Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett decade-long run of “fresh” movies, and also counters the lackluster 58% achieved by Renfield to bring more success to Universal’s ongoing revival of their old IP.

Radio Silence’s Hot Streak of Movies Has Boosted Universal’s Horror Brand

The Radio Silence team has been on a hot streak for some time now, managing to consistently deliver films that resonate with audiences and critics alike. Having directed several short segments across the V/H/S found footage franchise, Ready or Not, and two of the biggest movies in the Scream franchise, their credentials speak for themselves.

Next up for Radio Silence is their involvement in the Apple TV+ Guy Ritchie movie Fountain of Youth, featuring John Krasinski and Natalie Portman, and an upcoming remake of John Carpenter’s Escape from New York. Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett are also set to direct The Ice Beneath Her and Reunion, setting themselves up for more success in the coming years.

Meanwhile, Universal’s monster revival will continue with The Wolf Man, which replaced Ryan Gosling with Christopher Abbott as lead under the direction of returning helmer Leigh Whannell, who originally joined and exited the project due to a scheduling conflict. There are several other Universal Monster movies being tossed around, including a sequel to Whannell’s 2020 hit The Invisible Man, but how many stick is something that we will have to wait to find out.

Abigail is released in cinemas on April 19.