WARNING! This article contains spoilers for Abigail (2024)!
Radio Silence hid an Easter egg reference to one of their past horror movies in Abigail, which sets up the potential for a future crossover film. Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, collectively known as Radio Silence, are notable for their clever horror Easter eggs and references in their movies like Scream (2022), Scream VI, and Ready or Not, with their latest release, Abigail, continuing this trend. While Abigail’s cast and characters frequently pay homage to past vampire movies like Dracula and The Lost Boys throughout the film, Radio Silence also sneaks in a reference to their own filmography in the 2024 horror hit – which could have huge implications.
Abigail isn’t the first time that Radio Silence has included a nod to one of their films in a different horror franchise. For one of Scream VI‘s Easter eggs, a Halloween costume inspired by Grace from Ready or Not (2019) can be seen during a sequence on the subway, which is made more curious by the fact that Grace actress Samara Weaving is the slasher movie’s opening kill. However, Abigail marks the first time that one of Radio Silence’s self-references has established that two of their seemingly unrelated movies take place within the same cinematic universe.
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett revealed to Collider that Ready or Not and Abigail take place within the same universe, as a portrait of a member of Ready of Not’s Le Domas family tree can be seen hung up in the 2024 movie’s mansion. The 2019 horror movie centered on Weaving’s Grace marrying Alex Le Domas, with his family having a tradition in which they all gather to play a game pulled from Le Bail’s box on each member’s wedding night. Tragically, Grace pulls the card that reads “Hide and Seek,” which is soon revealed to be a deadly game in which the Le Domas family must hunt the new bride and kill her before dawn.
Ready or Not’s ending further explains that Alex’s great-grandfather had made a deal with the devil, referred to as Mr. Le Bail in the movie, which gave the Le Domas family power and wealth. However, the family was cursed, so if the new bride or groom survived the game of Hide and Seek until dawn, the entire Le Domas family would die. Though some characters are skeptical about whether the sacrifice actually works and the curse is real, it proves to be true when dawn approaches and Grace is still alive, leading every surviving Le Domas family member to explode in succession.
Since Grace told Alex she wanted a divorce just seconds before he exploded, the entire Le Domas family is deceased during Abigail’s timeline. However, the fact that Alex’s great ancestor has a portrait hanging in Abigail’s mansion raises more questions about the Le Domas family’s supernatural history. It’s unclear if the portrait hanging in Abigail is of Victor Le Domas, the member of Alex’s family who made the deal with Mr. Le Bail, or if this ancestor goes back generations further. If so, Ready or Not’s Le Domases could have some vampiric members of the family tree connected to Abigail and her father Kristof Lazar.
Though Abigail and Kristof Lazar are still immortal and in power, Joey is the only human character to survive Abigail’s bloody ending. Played by Scream VI star Melissa Barrera, Joey’s survival and status as another compelling Final Girl in the horror genre gives Radio Silence the potential to expand on her character further. With the indication that Abigail and Ready or Not exist in the same cinematic universe and the Le Domas and Lazar families seemingly have some centuries-old connection, it wouldn’t be too shocking to see a future crossover movie with Melissa Barrera’s Joey and Samara Weaving’s Grace.
Emphasizing their connections, Joey’s ending also greatly mirrors Grace’s conclusion in Ready or Not. The 2019 movie ends as Grace bloodily emerges as the sole survivor of the night while Le Bail briefly appears and gives her a nod of approval, followed by Grace simply sitting on the steps and smoking a cigarette. Similarly, Joey walks out of the mansion covered in blood as Abigail and Lazar let her go free, soon driving away as she places a lollipop in her mouth.
Considering everything she went through with the Le Domas family, it’s likely that Grace conducted far more research on their ancestry, gaming empire, and similar deals made with Mr. Le Bail after Ready or Not’s ending. If so, this could lead Grace to the direction of the Lazar criminal empire and Joey’s survival, as the deaths of Abigail characters Sammy, Peter, Frank, Rickles, and Dean could end up making the news. With the devil and vampires already having places in Radio Silence’s film universe, there’s also the opportunity to see Joey and Grace team up to battle another supernatural force connected to the Lazars and Le Domases.
Ahead of Abigail’s release in theaters, Radio Silence revealed that Ready or Not 2 was in development. The anticipated follow-up hasn’t been confirmed or greenlit quite yet, but the original directors have praised the script as an “absolute f***ing banger of a sequel.” Weaving would presumably reprise her role as Grace in Ready or Not 2, but no details have been shared about what the sequel’s story could entail. Now, with Abigail’s critical success and fun Easter eggs aimed at Ready or Not, the notion that the 2019 movie’s sequel could actually come to fruition seems far more likely – whether it directly ties into Abigail or not.
If Ready or Not and Abigail were to build on their in-universe links with a crossover movie, the film would be able to pay off a missed opportunity from Radio Silence’s Scream VI. After the success of Ready or Not in 2019 and Scream in 2022, the directing duo followed up the latter in 2023, bringing back Melissa Barrera in the lead role as Sam Carpenter while featuring Samara Weaving as Laura Crane in Scream VI. However, despite both being part of the cast, Melissa Barrera and Samara Weaving never shared a scene together in Scream VI, as the latter was killed by Jason in the opening scene.
As such, a connected follow-up to Abigail and Ready or Not could finally put Barrera and Weaving on-screen together in a Radio Silence movie. Not only this, but it could also have the two playing their iconic Final Girl roles together as they team up against whatever force dares to face them. Regardless, Abigail sets up an incredible interconnected future for Radio Silence’s horror movies, which can hopefully build further off Melissa Barrera and Samara Weaving’s compelling Final Girl characters.
Sources: Collider, Rotten Tomatoes