Alisha Weir 'sinks her teeth' into terrifying new role in 'Abigail'

First came "Dracula." Then "Frankenstein." Then "The Mummy." 

Now, a terrifying new character joins the Universal Monsters legacy — and her name is "Abigail."

Young actress Alisha Weir sinks her teeth into the title role of the pulse-pounding new vampire flick "Abigail," opening in theaters nationwide this Friday. Playing the kidnapped daughter of a crime boss who turns the tables on her captors, Weir delivers a powerhouse performance -- and says it was a dream come true to star in a horror film.

"I think it’s the buzz that I feel and the adrenaline that I feel, and I think I like feeling scared at times," says Weir. "I’m definitely a big fan of horror films, and I was so interested to see what it would be like on set and if it was really that scary as it seems, like, when you’re watching it."

So, was it?

"No! It’s the complete opposite," the performer said, laughing. "It’s fun, and it’s crazy, and it’s bloody. But it’s exciting, and it’s the complete opposite of scary, honestly."

"Abigail" may seem a far cry from Weir’s breakthrough role as the title character in 2022’s "Matilda the Musical," but it turns out, both parts called for a performer with some killer moves.

"At the start, dance wasn’t a big part of ‘Abigail,’ and as we were rehearsing and talking more about her character to help me understand her before I went to play her … the ballet side of it really built," says Weir. "So, in the end, no matter what Abigail was doing — whether she was chasing, whether she was fighting — she was always, you know, leaping around, she was pirouetting, she was doing it like she could do it in her sleep."

For more information on "Abigail," click here. Click the video player in this article to hear more of our interview with the film’s devilishly talented star.