'Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter' finally hits cinemas on Friday (June 22, 2012), buoyed by the likeliness that cinemagoers will be drawn to the movie on its name alone. However, it just so happens that critics have taken to the film, with Tim Evans of Sky Movies calling it a "dizzying maelstrom of madness".

Evans cites Seth Grahame-Smith's source novel as being "barking enough", though says director Timur Bekmambetov goes even further. Grahame-Smith - who also penned the script - is best known for his wacky spins on literary classics, such as Pride and Prejudice (or in his case, Pride and Prejudice, and Zombies). IGN Movies also gave the film a positive review, saying, "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is this generation's Billy the Kid vs. Dracula or Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter". However, not everyone was enamoured by the premise, especially Neil Smith of Total Film who wrote, "Arrive two hours late for Bekmambetov's overcooked noise generator and you'll have a fantastic night". Author and screenwriter Grahame-Smith concedes the concept of the film is a little farfetched, telling the New York Daily News, "Yes, it's an absolutely ridiculous premise, and we all knew that. But we wanted that joke to end at the title.With 'Lincoln,' we wanted to make a bloody, badass action movie that just happened to take place in the 1800s".

Despite its modest budget, the movie is expected to perform relatively well at the box-office this weekend. Whether it will draw enough of the crowds to oust 'Madagascar 3' from the top-spot, remains to be seen.