IRISH actress Alisha Weir has shared a terrifying trailer for her forthcoming movie, Abigail.
The 14-year-old from Dublin shot to fame in the title role of the 2022 hit film, Matilda the Musical.
However, her lead role in Abigail is in sharp contrast to that of the precocious schoolgirl, with the movie’s tagline reading: “Children can she such monsters.”
Due to be released in April, distributor Universal Pictures describes the movie as ‘a brash, blood-thirsty new vision of the vampire flick’.
“After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight,” reads the synopsis.
“In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl.”
A post featuring a trailer for the movie was shared on Weir’s Instagram account and has since gathered more than 1.5m views and almost 75,000 likes.
Among the hundreds of comments, fans contrasted her role with that of Matilda Wormwood in the movie adaptation of the stage musical, which in turn was based on Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s book.
“See maybe if the Wormwoods had given her more love and attention she wouldn’t have ended up like this,” joked one user.
“From Matilda to a blood sucking ballerina vampire?! Love this direction for you,” added another.
Weir also shared images of herself and the crew, including co-star Melissa Barrera, at the movie’s wrap party this week, adding: “The best night with the best people. I can’t wait for everyone to see this amazing movie!”
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The cast also includes Downton Abbey star Dan Stevens, Breaking Bad’s Giancarlo Esposito and late Irish-American actor Angus Cloud, who passed away in July 2023 at the age of 25.
The film is directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who helmed the two most recent Scream movies that revitalised the horror franchise.
The script was a joint effort from their Scream collaborator Guy Busick and Dubliner Stephen Shields, who co-wrote the 2019 Irish horror film The Hole in the Ground.
Abigail is scheduled to open in the US on April 19, although Irish and British release dates have yet to be announced.