Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter: 'Ridiculous', But Brilliant?

'Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter' gives cinemagoers an alternative to the all-conquering 'Madagascar 3' this weekend, with early reviews of the horror-comedy movie relatively positive.

The bizarre movie is based on Seth Grahame-Smith's 2010 novel, with the author also penning the screenplay. Known for his horror reworkings of literary classics, Grahame-Smith concedes the concept for the new 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". The novel became a bestseller in 2010, with the Los Angeles Times heaping praise on the author's style, noting, "a writer who can transform the greatest figure from 19th century American history into the star of an original vampire tale with humor, heart and bite is a rare find indeed". Despite its modest budget, the movie is expected to perform strongly at the box-office this weekend, and should pull in those fans of both 'Twilight' and 'True Blood', intrigued by the movie's premise. Grahame-Smith added, ".I know this sounds weird, but we also wanted to honor the real Abraham Lincoln by staying true to some of his real history, and his ideals".

In their review of the film, IGN Movies write, "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is this generation's Billy the Kid vs. Dracula or Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter". The movie - co-produced by Tim Burton - hits theaters on Friday (June 22, 2012).