Abraham’s Boys: Natasha Kermani’s Joe Hill adaptation rated R for bloody violence (2025)

Four years ago, we heard that Tea Shop Productions, the company behind47 Meters Down, had hiredImitation GirlandLuckydirector Natasha Kermani to write and direct a feature adaptation ofJoe Hill‘s short storyAbraham’s Boys. Two months ago, we finally got an update on the project when it was announced that RLJE Films and the Shudder streaming service had acquired the worldwide distribution rights to the film. Now the movie is making its way toward release, and it just took an important step on that path: it got its rating from the Motion Picture Association ratings board. Abraham’s Boys has officially been rated R for bloody violence and grisly images.

The Abraham in question here is vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing as Hill’s action-horror story is described as a “follow-up of sorts” to Bram Stoker’sDracula. The storytests the relationships Stoker formed in his original novel. The plot follows Max and Rudy Van Helsing, who know nothing of their father Abraham’s past and cannot understand his overprotective attitude and strange behavior. To make matters worse, Abraham is becoming increasingly more unhinged, paranoid, and violent.The film centers onMax and Rudy Van Helsing, who both struggle under their overprotective father, Abraham. After they dig into Abraham’s history with Dracula, Max and Rudy’s world unravels as they discover the history and legacy they have unknowingly inherited.

Abraham’s Boysstars Titus Welliver (Bosch), Jocelin Donahue (The House of the Devil), Judah Mackey (The Young and the Restless), Aurora Perrineau (Westworld), and Brady Hepner (The Black Phone, another Joe Hill adaptation). Tim Wu and James Howard Herron of Illium Pictures produced the film alongside and James Harris and Leonora Darby of Tea Shop Productions.

RLJE Films’ Chief Acquisitions Officer Mark Ward provided the following statement: “We can’t wait to bringAbraham’s Boysto audiences and expand the Dracula legacy with a fresh and compelling perspective. Natasha Kermani has woven a gripping, character-driven horror story that drags Van Helsing’s past into the light — whether his sons are ready for it or not.” Kermani added, “It was a joy to bring Joe Hill’s dark, gothic story to the screen on location in California, with a fantastic Los Angeles cast and crew, and I’m so excited to now be able to share the film with audiences all over the world alongside my friends at RLJE Films and Shudder.“

Are you looking forward to Natasha Kermani’s adaptation of Joe Hill’sAbraham’s Boys, and are you glad to hear that it has secured an R rating? Let us know by leaving a comment below. Now that the movie has a distributor and has been rated by the MPA, here’s hoping we’ll be seeing a trailer very soon.