The cast and filmmakers behind Universal’s bloody horror film Abigail shared who their favorite vampires are and talked about the special experience of filming the project.
Radio Silence, the directing duo behind Scream V and Scream VI, is back with another horror extravaganza. This time, audiences follow a group of kidnappers who unwittingly find themselves being hunted by a 12-year-old vampire ballerina while locked inside a giant mansion.
Abigail Cast Talk Vampires on the Red Carpet
The Direct chatted with some of the cast and filmmakers of 2024's Abigail on the film's Los Angeles red carpet premiere about the vampire movie and their experience bringing it to life.
With the movie centered around a 12-year-old ballerina, The Direct couldn’t help but ask some of the cast and filmmakers about which vampires in media are some of their favorites.
Dan Stevens, who plays Frank, pointed to 2014’s A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night alongside the more comedic approach of Matt Berry’s iconic vamp:
"I love the Sheila Vans vampire in 'A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,’ [she] is really, really cool. I'm also very fond of Matt Berry in 'What We Do in the Shadows.’"
Kevin Durand, who brings tough guy Peter to life, was quick to point to all of Guillermo del Toro’s iterations of the creatures, from Blade 2 to The Strain:
"You know, I have to say Guillermo del Toro's. Because we saw them a bunch of times. We saw them in 'Blade.' And I saw them on 'The Strain' every day for four years. They would etch into my consciousness, and I would dream about them at night because I would see them all day. It was very effective."
Abigail writer Guy Busick shared how he has a soft spot for the characters of The Lost Boys while also crediting Dracula—a pick both producers Willam Sherak and Paul Neinstein agreed with.
As for what Abigail brings, that would be none other than Alisha Weir’s soon-to-be iconic titular vampire ballerina.
The actress said that before her work on the film, the only other vampires she was familiar with were those on The Vampire Diaries:
"Before 'Abigail,’ the only vampire series that I'd seen was 'Vampire Diaries.’ And I hadn't seen any other ones. So I hadn't seen any vampire movies either. So getting to play a vampire, I learned so much. And not only getting to play a vampire but getting to play a ballerina vampire, I think, made it ten times better."
Weir loves her character, noting how it's easy for enemies to underestimate her:
"I mean, Abigail is pretty amazing… What makes her so unique is she’s a ballerina. So I think she can fly. And she's been living centuries. And she might look like this little girl who [someone] could defeat in a second. But she has a lot more to show, and she's been living for centuries. She's well used to this. She can fly. She's flexible. She's a ballerina at the end of the day."
Producer Willam Sherak had nothing but high praises for Weir’s performance, confidently declaring how she "raises the bar to another level:"
"I think anytime you get to work with somebody at Alicia's age who just raises the bar to another level, and you're just in amazement over it, it's hard to top something like that."
When asked what it was like to film in the movie’s setting, a giant moody mansion, Weir admitted that it "was so creepy," especially the pool they filled with bodies:
"It was amazing. The house was so creepy. Like in real life, I was really creeped out by that house. It was huge. And every room was really old and rundown and the set had props and everything. And it had mats with wolf heads sticking out and like little dead mice, obviously not real, but, you know, that was definitely creepy, especially the pool with all the bodies in it. And I love horror films. I'm really good with horror films. I think I like being scared and feeling the adrenaline, but when I saw that pool with the bodies in it, I was freaked out for sure."
Unfortunately for Kathryn Newton’s Sammy, her character swims in that terrifying pool.
Newton admitted that filming that scene "was the hardest day [she’s] ever had on set:"
"It was really difficult. It was the hardest day I've ever had on set. And I consider myself athletic. I consider myself a professional athlete. But I knew that I wanted to make everyone really proud. I hope people like it because I was thinking about the audience. And I was like, 'Do not under-deliver. Don't. Go there.' And so every time I was like, 'Go!' And I hope people like it."
Busick said that he "almost fell in that pool" while they were "touring that location:"
"When we were touring that location, I almost fell in that pool and killed myself. I was very happy it had a use other than just to try to kill the writer."
For many audiences, there’s just something fun about the horror genre. But what makes that the case?
Stevens agreed how "it’s a playground," one made all the better with the involvement of directing duo Radio Silence:
"It’s a playground... When you get in front of directors like Matt [Bettinelli-Olpin] and Tyler [Gillett] who just want to create a really silly sandbox that everyone just gets to play in, throw around ideas, improv lines, making each other laugh, as well as delivering some jumps and some scares, and a ton of blood, it's so much fun."
On what was his most unique experience working on Abigail, Stevens didn’t hesitate to explain how it was working with the late Angus Cloud (who plays Dean in the movie), who passed away in June 2023:
"Oh my goodness, the most unique experience was working with Angus Cloud. One of the most unique individuals I've ever met—a very, very special man. And we miss him a lot."
Another big character in the film is Peter, who goes against many stereotypes that many people probably immediately think of when they see him. This big, muscled, rough-looking dude is far more soft than one might realize.
Kevin Durand admitted that playing the character "wasn’t a big stretch" for him in that regard:
"It wasn't a big stretch for me. I play a lot of big tough guys, but I'm really all about peace and love and art and just having a great peaceful, happy time on this Earth. So I tend to be pulled in to play these dudes who have a lot of edge, so I got to show a little bit of myself."
The actor then went on to praise how Radio Silence and production company Project X put together the movie, sharing how all the actors "lived together" during filming, which led to a close bond forming between everyone:
"Well, what Radio Silence and Project X did was they put us all in the same building. We all lived together, we all got very close, and we'd have Friday night family dinners. We all fell in love with each other; it was just being together. So when we were working, it just felt like an extension of just that friendship. So when you get to create art with people that you love, there's really no better situation that you could find yourself in in life. So it's pretty great."
As for why they chose to make Abigail a ballerina, writer Stephen Shields said it's because he’s “terrified of ballerinas:”
"I am terrified of ballerinas. I always have been. I just think anyone that can stand on their tiptoes and do stuff like that is, you know, they're a little bit of a different kind of type of creature. But I always envisioned this movie to have a vampire who was a ballerina covered in blood. I think it's gonna make a really awesome Halloween costume this year, as well."
Could Abigail come back for round 2?
Weir happily declared that she "would love to return for an 'Abigail 2.'"
Shield revealed that while he has thought about what another installment could look like, its hypothetical existence is "up to the movie gods."
Busick had similar sentiments, noting how "nothing’s set in stone:"
"I mean, you hope, but you know, nothing's set in stone. Well, hopefully this one does well, and people like it, but who knows?"
A video with all of The Direct's conversations with the cast and filmmakers of Abigail can be seen here:
Abigail is now playing in theaters worldwide.
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