Melissa Barrera has been absolutely dominating the horror genre and her role as Joey in Abigail continues to add to the growing legacy. Barrera stops in to discuss the challenge of making this character distinctive and completely different from her past roles and the anxiety of wanting to make it feel new and fresh. We also learn about a lifelong grudge against Chucky that stemmed from the killer doll fueling her first nightmares.
Balancing (and showcasing) the blend of Joey’s badass nature and soft/nurturing side was of particular importance in bringing the character to life. This role is the bloodiest Melissa Barrera has ever been, but if her next movie puts her in “a literal pool of blood,” there’s a chance of getting (slightly) bloodier.
We asked Melissa to assemble her Avengers-style, vampire-killing dream team, and she came up with Keke Palmer from Nope, Samara Weaving from Ready Or Not, Ryan Gosling from Barbie, Noah Galvin in Theater Camp and her own character from Keep Breathing. We are pretty confident that crew could hold their own against some fanged foes, but could anyone get through it without being distracted by laughing?
Naturally, this ragtag group would have an unconventional kill song. Barrera’s battle jam of choice? She’d set all this slaying to The B5-2’s “Roam” for a blood-soaked bash. She also confesses her vampire family brood of choice would be the Cullen clan, mainly for the joy of running the bases at vamp-speed.
Watch our full interview with Abigail star Melissa Barrera below.
Written by Stephen Shields (The Hole in the Ground, Zombie Bashers) and Guy Busick (Scream franchise, Ready or Not). Check out the official Abigail plot synopsis below.
After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl.
You can read more about Abigail in the latest issue of FANGORIA, which features our favorite vampire ballerina on the cover, on newsstands, and available in our online shop now. Let’s keep the party going, check out our interview with Melissa Barrera’s Abigail co-stars Kathryn Newton and Dan Stevens.
Abigail is now in theaters.
