#Ava Cantrell’s ‘Abigail’ Teen Horror Pic Lands at Dark Star Pictures (Exclusive)

Dark Star Pictures has nabbed the North American rights to the teen horror flick Abigail from director Melissa Vitello and starring Ava Cantrell.

A theatrical release in select theaters is planned for Dec. 2023, followed by transactional home entertainment sales. “Abigail is a wild descent into the teen psyche. The film brings important topics like bullying, racism, mental health and gender stereotypes to the forefront while staying true to the core horror genre, giving audiences a thoughtful experience painted in bloody throwback fun,” Dark Star president Michael Repsch said in a statement.

Abigail is set in 1976 where Abigail Cole, a troubled teen played by Cantrell, and her mother move to a small Alabama town in hopes of escaping the girl’s violent past. She befriends the boy next door, Lucas, who is mercilessly bullied by a group of kids at school.

Determined to help him seek revenge, Abigail takes matters into her own hands, but things quickly spiral out of control. As Lucas begins to uncover the dark and twisted nature of his new friend, things take a deadly turn. Now, he must choose between standing by her side or stopping her before it’s too late.

“Working on Abigail was a fun opportunity for me to explore everything I love about twisted teen genre and coming-of-age rage. Dark Star Pictures has been absolutely more than I could have hoped for when it came to finding a home for this film,” director and producer Vitello said in a statement.

Cantrell (Lights Out) is joined in the ensemble cast by Tren Reed-Brown Richard Cotton, Hermoine Lynch and veteran actor Gene Farber. The film was produced by Dark Gravity Studios.

The North American distribution deal was negotiated by Vitello, Stacy Snyder and executive producer Bryan Cantrell for the filmmakers and Repsch for Dark Star Pictures.