Joey (Melissa Barrera) in a scene from "Abigail."
Abigail — a gory vampire movie new in theaters — features several notable cast members including the performer who plays the lead role of Joey.
Inspired by the 1936 Universal Monsters spinoff movie Dracula’s Daughter, Abigail chronicles the wrath of terror a group of criminals face after they kidnap a young ballet dancer named Abigail (Alisha Weir), the 12-year-old daughter of a powerful mob kingpin.
The crew — consisting of six members — thought the kidnapping scheme would earn them easy money. In effect, all they were instructed to do was take the pre-teen and hold her for 24 hours in a dilapidated mansion while awaiting $50 million in ransom money.
One of the kidnappers — who goes by the fake name of Joey — is played by Melissa Barrera. A single mom struggling with addiction, Joey is the most perceptive member of the group of criminals and seems to have forged a connection with Abigail before the girl transforms into a bloodthirsty creature of the night.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 06: (L-R) Jasmin Savoy Brown, Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera attend the ... [+]
If Barrera looks familiar to horror movie fans, it’s because her most recent films include 2022’s Scream and 2023’s Scream VI, where she starred as Sam Carpenter opposite Jenna Ortega, who plays her sister Tara Carpenter.
The Scream films were produced by Chad Villella and directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, aka the creative team known as Radio Silence. Barrera reunited with the Radio Silence team for Abigail.
What Else Has Barrera Appeared In?
Born on July 4, 1990, in Monterrey, Nuevo León Mexico, Melissa Barrera kicked off her screen career in her home country by appearing in guest roles in a pair of telenovelas — known in America as daytime dramas or soaps — from 2012-2013.
Barrera’s breakthrough in telenovelas came in 2014 by appearing in 124 episodes of Siempre tuya Acapulco and a year later, she appeared in 119 episodes of Tanto amor.
In Hollywood, Barrera’s film breakthrough came in the key role of Vanessa opposite Anthony Ramos in director Jon M. Chu’s 2021 movie adaptation of Lin Manuel Miranda’s Broadway musical smash In the Heights.
Despite her success in Scream and Scream VI in 2022 and 2023, Barrera’s career hit a roadblock in 2023 when she was dropped from the slasher franchise’s planned seventh installment.
According to Variety, Barrera was fired by Scream VII production company Spyglass Media in November 2023 after showing support online for the Palestine cause following Hamas’ October 7 terror attacks on Israel.
In spite of the setback, Barrera is finding work in other films, including Abigail and Your Monster — an indie horror comedy romance that premiered in January at the Sundance Film Festival. The film is still awaiting a U.S. release date.
Also starring Kathryn Newton, Dan Stevens and Giancarlo Esposito, Abigail is now in theaters.
