Does Abigail Exist In The Same Universe As Ready Or Not?

The following contains spoilers for Abigail, now playing in theaters

Summary Abigail and Ready Or Not share a universe with a subtle Easter egg hinting at a connection.

Both films blend gore and slapstick comedy in grand settings like old manors.

There are deeper implications of a shared universe between the films beyond thematic similarities.

Abigail is an exciting new take on a classic horror movie concept, but it also might quietly have connections to Radio Silence's prior film, Ready Or Not. Both films were directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (collaboratively known as Radio Silence), and they share many baseline elements. Although Abigail is about a vampiric little girl and Ready Or Not is rooted in violent acts taken by the rich to ensure their continued power, both films embrace an over-the-top approach to melding gory horror and slapstick comedy.

The two films utilize a creepy manor as their principal setting and each use a similar game of cat-and-mouse targeting Ready Or Not and Abigail's main characters. Abigail has enough unique flourishes to fully stand out. Instead of feeling like a retread of Ready Or Not, Abigail feels like an expansion of the themes and concept, taken in a new direction. The connections between the films may be more than just cosmetic and thematic, however. An easter egg hidden in the film — coupled with the revelations from Abigail's ending — suggest the films may be genuinely connected.

Related Universal’s New Horror Movie Confirms Dracula’s Perfect Character Replacement After 127 Years 2024's Abigail is an exciting reimagining of the vampire horror subgenre, potentially showing the best way to replace a classic character.

Abigail's Ready Or Not Easter Egg Suggests The Movies Exist In The Same Universe

How The Two Horror Films Could Share A Universe

The directors of Abigail and Ready Or Not confirmed an easter egg in Abigail hints at a shared universe for the films. During an interview with Collider, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett confirmed that there's a direct reference to Ready Or Not hidden in Abigail. It turns out that in the manor where Lambert orders his criminal gang to bring the captured Abigail, there's a portrait of an ancestor to Tony Le Domas, potentially even Victor le Domas himself. Played by Henry Czerny in Ready or Not, Tony is the modern-day owner of Le Domas Gaming Dominion.

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That film steadily revealed that the Le Domas family rose to power with demonic help, thanks to a deal struck between Victor le Domas and the devil known as le Bail. The plot of Ready or Not focuses on the family trying to maintain their infernal bargain by sacrificing Grace, only for her to prove capable of staying ahead of their efforts. The portrait of a le Domas patriarch in the mansion that belongs to Kristof Lazar suggests that the two families may have known one another, or that Lazar was even a personal acquaintance of Victor.

Why It Makes Sense Abigail Would Exist In Ready Or Not's Universe

The Connection Goes Beyond Genre & Style

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The connection between the two horror films makes sense, even beyond their shared filmmakers and overall themes. Both films utilize a harsh and lethal form of horror that often leaves piles of exploded gore instead of simple corpses. The similar result of the Le Domas family and vampires in Abigail's brutal deaths suggests a connection that goes beyond the superficially supernatural. Although Abigail focuses on vampires and Ready Or Not implies a demonic entity at the heart of the story, the shared deaths hint at a shared consequence for tampering with unearthly forces.

Given the lengthy lifespan and clear dark power of a vampire like Lazar, it's possible the vampire was even a player in the deal that led to the rise of the Le Domas family. It's an interesting reveal, as it suggests the darker forces moving behind the scenes. It could also set up a slew of other types of horror stories set in the same universe. Similar to how the Universal Monster Movies created a shared cinematic universe almost a century ago, Abigail and Ready Or Not could lay the seeds for a larger universe of monsters and horrors.

Source: Collider