Vampire films come in all forms, from comedies to horror and even romance.  The creatures themselves come in all shapes and sizes as well, from little children to the grotesque, barely human monster. The titular character of Abigail is one of the former, and as for the film, there is no doubt it’s a horror, with a little comedy thrown in to help keep the mood light around the gory moments. It’s a fun little film that will keep you entertained, even if it is more than a little predictable.

Abigail follows the story of seven criminals hired to kidnap the ballerina daughter of a local criminal kingpin. The goal, blackmail the man into giving them millions of dollars for the safe return of his daughter. Unfortunately for them however they quickly discover that their prey isn’t what she seems, and they spend the night in a spooky old house fighting for their lives.

At first, it’s hard to get a feel of what type of film Abigail is trying to be. It introduces you to seven criminals with different special skills in what feels more like a caper film than a horror. The characters initially aren’t very interesting either, and feel very generic and cardboard. The bigger problem is that they are very clearly the bad guys that you normally wouldn’t want to cheer for. They aren’t as lovable as the criminals in the Ocean’s 11 or the Fast and Furious films either, which means they have an uphill battle to fight. That changes quickly however, thanks to the injection of a little humor.

Throughout Abigail, the one liners will not only lighten the mood, but they pique your interest in the characters. You find yourself cheering for them just a little bit more than you would have expected. Their chemistry together is also rather more fun than what we see in the trailers. Sure, a couple of them don’t really last long enough for you to start caring about, but that’s always the case. The only disappointment really when it comes to the actors is the fact that Giancarlo Esposito’s role isn’t much more than a glorified cameo.

If you spend too much time thinking about the plot of the film, you might end up being disappointed. You might wonder why the criminals would have agreed to spend the night in a spooky old house watching over their kidnapping victim. Or you may ask why a vampire has a pulse. But really, this is the type of film you just need to turn your mind off for. Enjoy this movie for what it is. It doesn’t follow all the classic vampire tropes, but enough of them are there for the purists.  They even make fun of Twilight, which in itself is a bonus.

Abigail is the type of movie you can enjoy on a night out. It has its gory moments, but they are mostly played for laughs instead of frights. That doesn’t mean you won’t jump on occasion, but it does mean you usually don’t need to cover your eyes. Just go, turn off your mind, and enjoy it for what it is.