The action horror comedy features an Irish actress in the title role.
Abigail, the extremely fun 2024 action horror comedy movie, is finally available to watch at home via NOW Cinema and Sky Cinema.
A very loose re-imagining of ’30s flick Dracula’s Daughter, the film tells the story of a ragtag group of criminals previously unknown to each other who are hired to kidnap Abigail (14-year-old Irish actress Alisha Weir, Matilda the Musical), the young ballerina daughter of a very wealthy man.
After completing this job, the team are then tasked with watching over the child in a secluded mansion while they wait for a ransom.
The criminals soon find themselves trapped in the manor, however, as it is revealed that the seemingly sweet little girl is actually a bloodthirsty vampire.
Hailing from Irish writer Stephen Shields (The Hole in the Ground, the in-the-works Cú Chulainn movie) and directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (Ready or Not, the last two Scream sequels), Abigail was shot in Ireland.
In fact, the Samuel Beckett Bridge and the River Liffey’s quays can be spotted as the criminals flee the scene of the kidnapping early on.
When it landed in cinemas back in April, JOE praised the film – comparing it to the modern classic From Dusk Till Dawn on account of its mid-way transition from taut crime thriller to splattery horror.
We were also full of praise for Abigail’s cast, particularly the young Weir in the title role.
Here is what he said in our review:
“The Matilda actress is really spectacular as Abigail – managing to effortlessly convince as both the scared vulnerable child she first appears to be and the charismatic, ruthless and downright scary monster she is in reality.
“She’s ably supported by a fine cast playing the kidnappers. All of these characters are not the nicest of people – Dan Stevens in particular makes for a very funny dirtbag – but some are more sympathetic than others. These include the late and great Angus Cloud as the group’s clueless getaway driver, William Catlett’s pragmatic army veteran and Melissa Barrera as the member of the team most conflicted about the mission, given her personal life.”
Ahead of the movie’s release, JOE interviewed Barrera, Stevens, Weir and their co-star Kathryn Newton (also excellent) about Abigail.
And during those conversations, Weir revealed that her real-life sister was “freaked out” by the levels of fake blood deployed for the film during a set visit.
Which is fair, because there is a lot of the red stuff in Abigail, as the filmmakers clearly had fun working out all the dramatic possibilities of having a group of baddies trapped in a big house with a ballerina-dancing vampire.
Abigail is available to watch at home in Ireland and the UK via NOW Cinema and Sky Cinema.
Read more:
- Dark and moody new detective thriller series now available to stream
- Prime Video has just added one of 2024’s biggest action movies
- Netflix’s ‘fantastic’ new action thriller dubbed ‘best Christmas movie of the year’
- An excellently twisty legal thriller movie is on TV tonight
- Cú Chulainn ‘in the present day’ movie in the works from Kin creator
- Kin creator opens up about possibility of Season 3 for the hit Irish crime drama
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
