Melissa Barrera

Melissa Barrera seems remarkably composed for someone navigating one of the most trying periods of their personal and professional lives. You’ve probably seen the headlines: The rising star of Vida, In the Heights, and the Scream films was fired from the horror franchise and falsely branded antisemitic for a series of Instagram posts calling attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza that’s claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people. She subsequently released a statement saying, in part, “I condemn…

Traffic on Main Street in Park City came to a complete halt on a busy Sunday afternoon during the Sundance Film Festival as several hundred Palestinian protesters — among them actors Melissa Barrera and Indya Moore — packed the sidewalk to chant “free Palestine” and “stop the genocide.” Pose star Moore, in town for the festival premiere of Ponyboi, took the microphone at one point to say, “I’m gay as — God forgive me — fuck. I love everybody. I love people. I have Israeli friends. I have Jewish…

Just a few months ago, actor Melissa Barrera was fired from Scream 7 over her pro-Palestinian stance in the Israel-Hamas conflict. The shockwave of that firing has basically upended that franchise in various ways, while Barrera herself has been focused on doing promo for her next film, the upcoming horror musical Your Monster. Hulu’s Hellraiser Reboot Has So-So Sights to Show YouAt Sundance earlier in the week to premiere her new flick, she told the Associated Press she was glad for the experience, in a way. The firing…

Melissa Barrera is keeping things positive after being removed from the Scream movie franchise. In November, Spyglass Media Group — the production company behind the films — fired Barrera following her social media posts in support of Palestine amid the Israel-Hamas war, claiming they have “zero tolerance” for antisemitism. Speaking to Deadline at Sundance Film Festival last night, Barrera said, “I’m just so grateful on what I got to infuse in the franchise, and that’s also something I’ll be proud of forever.”…

Some of the films and stars coming to Sundance 2024.Image: SundanceThe 2024 movie season kicks into high gear this week with the start of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Each year, Sundance is where many of the biggest, most buzzworthy independent films start their journeys to either box office success or critical glory—and, with the festival now being both digital and in-person, audiences everywhere can participate.Sundance might be best known for its dramatic fare (Oscar winners like Coda and Little Miss Sunshine got…

Just before the weekend, Universal finally pulled back the curtain on its cryptic horror movie from filmmaking duo Radio Silence. The resulting film is Abigail, which sees Melissa Barrera and Dan Stevens headline a team of kidnappers who snatch up a kid to hold her for ransom. The twist? The titular Abigail, played by Alisha Weir, is actually a vampire, and now they’re all completely screwed. Renfield's Director and Writer Talk Practical Effects | io9 InterviewMaking the monster a 12-year-old girl is a neat little twist,…

While we’ve long known Radio Silence was working on the next film in the Universal Monsters revival, and that their Scream leading lady, Melissa Barrera, was starring—the rest was just rumors. Now, we’ve got a title and a trailer that, frankly, appears to give an awful lot away about its vampire kidnapping plot.Hulu’s Hellraiser Reboot Has So-So Sights to Show YouEven still, this trailer is awesome. It has some NSFW language, but never has an f-bomb been more required than when crooks are realizing they kidnapped “a…

A ballerina vampire? ? On Thursday, Universal Pictures released the trailer for the horror film Abigail, starring Melissa Barrera and Angus Cloud, in one of the last films the actor shot before his death last year. The trailer sees a group of “would-be criminals” as they wait inside a mansion with a 12-year-old ballerina (Alisha Weir) they kidnapped. All the group is instructed to do is watch the little girl overnight to collect a $50 million ransom. The film will premiere in theaters on April 19. “If you…

Image: NetflixThe path to Universal and Blumhouse’s Wolfman reboot—known here as Wolf Man—has been slow going. But on Friday, the movie added a new star to its cast in Ozark’s Julia Garner. Will You Click Windows’ New Copilot Button?Per Deadline, Garner will have the lead role as a mother whose family ends up terrorized by the titular werewolf, playing opposite Christopher Abbott. (The two actors previously worked together in 2011's Martha Marcy May Marlene, Garner’s professional acting debut.) Her casting comes weeks…

Director Christopher Landon announced on Saturday that he has “formally” left Scream VII. The announcement comes following the high profile exits of stars Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega from the beleaguered film. “I guess now is as good a time as any to announce I formally exited Scream 7 weeks ago,” the director wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday. “This will disappoint some and delight others. It was a dream job that turned into a nightmare. And my heart did break for everyone involved. Everyone. But…