Melissa Barrera can't stop getting stabbed and drenched in blood. The Mexican actress' transition to Hollywood has largely been in the horror genre. Having won a new legion of fans as Sam Carpenter Scream (2022) i Call VIBarrera continues his journey in the genre with Abigail. In it, she plays Joey, a woman with a dark past who, along with a group of fellow criminals, kidnaps the daughter of a wealthy crime boss for money. But, he gets a lot more than he bargained for because, well, this kid is a vampire dancer with a thirst for blood. We caught up with Melissa Barrera to chat about her love of horror, getting physical Abigailand more
Nerdist: You've become quite the queen of horror movies over the past couple of years. What is it about the genre that keeps you coming back to it as an actor?
Melissa Barrera: There are so many things I love. I grew up loving horror movies. I love the thrill, I love the adrenaline rush, I love being scared. I'm a bit of a masochist that way. And I learned that making horror movies is a lot of fun. It's like being a kid and playing in your living room with your siblings. It's like that level of imagination and having to pretend to be scared and scream your heart out is kind of ridiculous if you want to be rational about it. So you really have to let go and let your inner child come out and not be afraid and do all these crazy things that horror requires. So I love it. And I also love that it's a genre that has a huge fandom. Horror fans are the most loyal and dedicated.
We really are very loyal to what we love!
Barrier: Yes, and I think there is a lot of room for expansion in the genre. I'm constantly amazed at where these new creatives take horror stories and make them crazier and more creative. And I think the most interesting stories come out of horror. But I love that they are always metaphorical. There is a way to talk about really deep and important topics in horror in an entertaining and non-didactic way. They are not trying to teach you anything. They are just trying to make you think and entertain you. And if you get caught up in the metaphor of it, then it blows your mind and you want to talk about it and peel back all the layers.
There's so much horror out there that I love, and I know there are a lot of amazing directors who got their start in horror and a lot of amazing actors who got their start in horror as well. And I also love that it's a very noble genre where people show up no matter what. You don't need a big movie star to get people to show up in theaters to see a horror movie. And that's always something I've liked. It feels very generous, and I love that because I think we need to keep showing up in theaters. People come to theaters for yes, big franchises and superheroes and big movie star movies, but I think horror keeps theaters alive.
Indeed, especially with so many inventive recent films. I think Abigail it's such a fun take on the vampire genre. Just when you think there's no new way to spin a vampire story, this movie does something totally cool. How did you hear about the movie?
Barrier: I came to know about the film through my team. They told me [Scream directors] Matt [Bettinelli-Olpin] and Tyler [Gillett] he had this new movie at universal and it was a vampire movie. And they said, “Do you want us to bring it up?” I mean, I've been obsessed with vampires my whole life. I love all monsters. Van Helsing, I was obsessed with that movie growing up. And I've always liked vampires and always wanted to play a vampire. So when I found out that Joey wasn't a vampire, I was a little disappointed. I'm not going to lie. [laughs]
But I was still like, “You know what? I just want to be a part of it. It sounds like a lot of fun to work with Matt and Tyler again, if they want to have me, it would be a dream because I love those guys and I think they're great. So yeah, That's basically how I found out. It was just before Call VI came out in theaters and soon after I got the part and I was really excited to stay in the genre but try something new and have more creative freedom with a character.
For sure. What was it about Joey that drew you to her?
Barrier: I love complicated women in the gray area, as I call them, where you're like, “You're not all right. You're not a good person, really. You're a criminal, so you're kidnapping a girl. What the hell?! ” But you also have to root for her. I loved trying to find that humanity in her and playing her vulnerability. I always like to turn it on its head a little bit and allow women to be complicated and have a softer side, even though they're supposed to be badass.
We also see a soft maternal side to Joey. And I like the veteran aspect of it too because I've always been deeply heartbroken by the plight of so many veterans in America and how they live and how the government doesn't really take care of them or track the trauma. that they experience And many of them end up homeless. They are on the street and losing their lives because they are in so much pain. And so I was really into that aspect of Joey.
I adore that. Now, Joey got really bloody and did some pretty physically challenging things as well. Did you get a chance to do any of these stunts or get physical? And what was all that?!
Barrier: I made it. That final sequence, we rehearsed it for two weeks, and then it was another two weeks of shooting. I wanted to do all the things, but they wouldn't let me because of insurance and stuff like that. They were throwing me through glass and things like that, they don't really let actors do that. But I rehearsed everything. I could do it all. They were like, “If you don't have to do this, if you don't have to jump from the first floor to the second floor and break the railing and hit the wall and then fall to the floor, us.” I won't make you do it.”
Hannah and Ifa were my stunt doubles, and they were doing the hard stuff of falling on the shelf and breaking it and flipping over and all that really painful stuff. And I was just doing the final falls and I did all the punches and the chest imp, which was really fun.
Rehearsals are really a lot of fun because you get to do everything in rehearsals. They teach you how to do everything in rehearsals, and when you get on set, the directors are like, “Yeah, no, we don't want you to do that. That feels dangerous.” So that was amazing. It was an amazing experience.
It makes sense to keep you all safe! But you were able to throw punches, which is amazing.
Barrier: Yes! And blood is like syrup, I guess. I know it's sticky and sticky. In fact, I don't know what blood they put on me and my clothes. I know it's syrupy blood because if it goes in your mouth, it tastes sweet. It's a combination of a syrup or a gel and food coloring and all that good stuff that's so hard to get off afterwards because it stains you, it will stain you. I kept finding blood even after we got wrapped up in places where I was like, “Oh, behind my knee. There we go.” And it goes through the clothes. You're just completely red. And the key to getting it off is shaving foam, shaving cream.
Oh yeah, I remember Jack Quaid saying the same thing about getting rid of it the boys blood
Barrier: This is the only way! You have to get in the shower with a bottle of shaving foam and put it on a wet towel and then just go in it all over your body. This is the only way. I don't know who discovered it, but thank God.
Sounds like a good time. If you could describe Abigail in three words, what three words would you use?
Barrier: I would describe it as bloody, fun and amazing!
ABIGAIL is now available to watch at home exclusively on digital platforms from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
