• BRUCE R. MILLER bmiller@siouxcityjournal.com

Movie critic Bruce Miller says that if you get an invitation to dinner from "Abigail" just say it got lost in the mail. She's a messy eater.

The little dancing girl is a ruse to make you think β€œAbigail” could be some gothic horror story about artists.

It’s not. It’s simply a vampire film dressed up in tutus.

Remarkably, we don’t get the heads up until a group of thugs kidnap a 12-year-old on her way from dance class. They think she’s going to be their ticket to millions, but she’s actually bait for others.

At a creepy old mansion (which seems to have poor lighting and a hit-or-miss cleaning system), they lock Abigail (Alisha Weir) in a bedroom, then try to figure out how to get out of the rat-infested home.

As they make like Scooby-Doo, the kidnappers find rooms right out of β€œClue.” There, various plans get hatched before they decide it might be best to split up and look around. (Bad move.)

Joey (Melissa Barrera) and Frank (Dan Stevens) in "Abigail."Β 

Rule of thumb: Whenever two people go out looking for things, one isn’t coming back.

That means the kidnappers drop like characters in an Agatha Christie mystery. Personality flaws suggest vulnerability – always a bad thing with vampires.

Quickly, Abigail isn’t the girl they thought, leading them to figure out how to temper her before fending off others.

Dan Stevens (who seems to be in every fifth film released) plays the hotheaded leader of the pack. He pushes the muscle man, the druggie, the dummy and the girl from β€œScream” to make decisions that aren’t in their best interests. That means swimming in a sea of corpses, pounding on walls and hanging out in a kitchen where knives are particularly sharp.

One by one they develop what most would think are life-threatening injuries. Most, however, brush them off and keep fighting.

Abigail (Alisha Weir) takes on Sammy (Kathryn Newton) in "Abigail."Β 

What’s interesting is young Abigail. She gets moments from β€œThe Exorcist,” β€œInterview with the Vampire” and β€œWillard” before directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett decide to pull her into the mix. Then it’s a free-for-all that seems longer than it is.

Interestingly, the Rat Pack names assigned to the kidnappers don’t always fit. Some (like the late Angus Cloud) should stick around longer; others (like Will Catlett) could exit a little earlier.

Melissa Barrera, the one who has folks on the outside, knows how to ford this bloodstream. She handles emotions well and bonds with Abigail.

Alisha Weir plays a kidnapped girl in "Abigail."

Soon, though, she’s looking to pick up stakes.

When β€œAbigail” becomes another vampire tale, it sags. A sequel is likely, but it isn’t necessarily welcome.

Like a ballet that lasts too long, β€œAbigail” should have focused on its story, not its flourish.

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Β Bruce Miller is editor of the Sioux City Journal.Β