Nicknaming the different personas of her character really helped Alisha Weir channel the innocent little girl / centuries-old vampire that is the center of the blood-drenched horror movie โAbigail.โ
Calling the frightened, kidnapped child version of her character โAbby,โ and the alpha predator โAbigail,โ helped Weir approach the character as two entirely separate people. For scenes where she plays Abigail, she even altered her voice to sound โnot so much like an innocent little kid, but more like a confident adult,โ she shares.ย
Photo: Universal Pictures International
Weir plays the titular character in โAbigail,โ a blood-thirsty gore-fest that begins with a high-stakes heist, a dangerous mission that, if all goes according to plan, could net six strangers a staggering $50 million. Recruited for the job by a mysterious fixer, the team comprises the driver, the sniper, the medic, the muscle, the hacker, and the thin man, aka head of ops. Their real identities are kept secret from each other as a kind of insurance โ should one of them be caught, that person would be unable to implicate her or his co-conspirators. Together, they must infiltrate the well-appointed home of a reclusive kingpin who presides over a vast criminal empire. After sedating and abducting his pre-teen ballerina daughter, Abigail, they must safely transport the girl back to a remote mansion, then settle in to wait for the sun to rise and the cash to turn up. But once inside the isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that theyโre locked inside with no normal little girl.ย
For directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (โScreamโ 2022, โScream VIโ), Weir, most familiar to movie audiences for playing one of author Roald Dahlโs most beloved characters in โMatilda the Musical,โ was a godsend. From the outset, the team had worried whether theyโd be able to find a young actress who could believably be both earnest and sympathetic in the early scenes and terrifying and sadistic as the marauding vampire. An exhaustive search conducted with casting director Rich Delia led them to Weir, and after the filmmakers saw her audition opposite Melissa Barrera (the medic) over Zoom, they knew theyโd found their girl. โSheโs remarkable,โ producer William Sherak says. โSheโs talented and professional and engaged and excited, but still a kid. She just delivered.โ
Photo: Universal Pictures International
โIโd never done a character like this, and Iโve always loved horror films,โ says the now 14-year-old Weir. โEveryoneโs going to feel bad for her because sheโs this sweet little girl whoโs been kidnapped. Then she turns out to be so much more.โ
Movement coach and choreographer Belinda Murphy (โThe Last Duel,โ โVikingsโ) worked with Weir to develop vampire Abigailโs graceful physicality and to teach the actress how to perform the ballet sequence that opens the film. Murphy began by focusing on exercises that would build strength and stamina, which were critical, as Weir wanted to perform as many of her own stunts as possible. โI love trying new things,โ Weir says. โAnything that I can do, I will do it. Iโm determined. If I canโt do it, Iโll try again until I can.โ
Murphy developed a particular style of movement for the filmโs first half, before Abigail is revealed to be a vampire. โThat movement is very beautiful and very soft, as she appears to be just a little girl who simply loves to dance,โ Murphy says. โThen when sheโs vamped out, the movement became sharper and faster with more purpose and with a maturity beyond that of a little girl her sizeโฆ An energy fueled by a vampireโs thirst.โย
Photo: Universal Pictures International
Even then, vampire Abigail moves lithely, with a feline grace. โWhen sheโs running, she has elegance even when itโs fierce,โ Murphy says. โIt has a feeling of a performance which is full of calculated mischief. Sheโs playing with them and loving every moment! She constantly has a lovely line. Because, as Alisha is a dancer, it was just natural for her to do that. So even when she was running, jumping and attacking, she always maintained that elegance. This was Abigailโs biggest recital, if you like.โย
โAbigailโ also stars Kathryn Newton (โLisa Frankenstein,โ โAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniaโ), Dan Stevens (โGaslit,โ โLegionโ), Melissa Barrera (โScreamโ franchise, โIn the Heightsโ), William Catlett (โBlack Lightning,โ โTrue Storyโ), Kevin Durand (โResident Evil: Retribution,โ โX-Men Origins: Wolverineโ) and Angus Cloud (โEuphoria,โ โNorth Hollywoodโ) as the kidnappers and Giancarlo Esposito (โBreaking Bad,โ โBetter Call Saul,โ โThe Mandalorianโ) as the mastermind.ย
Watch the trailer below:
Fangs out and get ready for a bloody time at the cinemas when โAbigailโ opens April 17 only in cinemas.ย