Streaming on Tubi from the Asylum!
Directed by Richard Schenkman.
Written by Richard Schenkman, Karl Hirsch, Lauren Proctor.
Check out the trailer here!!
I know that it is well documented that our 16th President fought vampires in his youth, but did you know that he was proficient in the gentle art of zombie killing as well?
Well, you learn new things here every week and this week we get a bit of revisionist history as The Asylum releases ABRAHAM LINCOLN VS ZOMBIES. Sometimes a whole film can be redeemed by a cool idea, a small moment of film, or an inspired performance. Now, ABRAHAM LINCOLN VS ZOMBIES was made on a fraction of the budget of the Tim Burton produced, Timur Bekmambetov directed, Seth Grahame-Smith penned 3D blockbuster ABRAHAM LINCOLN, VAMPIRE HUNTER, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t an enjoyable film experience.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN VS ZOMBIES knows it’s goofy and relishes in that fact. While the concept of Honest Abe using a steel scythe to decapitate the dead while spouting some of his most famous quotes is something those with an ounce of humor can chortle about, there will be those who roll their eyes at this film. But if you find yourself accepting the fact that you want to see a film where Abe kills vamps, yet dismiss this one, there’s something wrong with you. Sure, it can be seen as a knock off. But I found this Mockbuster to be pretty enjoyable throughout as it adhered to some of the major milestones in Abe’s life, and veered only to fit in zombies into the mix. Some of the twists that are found in the film (the final one I don’t want to spoil here) are inspired and cast a new kind of light on the way we look at American history. The fact that John Wilkes Booth fought as part of Abe’s Secret Service Men and the inclusion of a young Teddy Roosevelt, a stubborn General Stonewall Jackson, and a noble Pat Garrett as part of his team were fun little Easter eggs that popped up from time to time.
What makes the tone of this film work is the fantastic performance by Bill Oberst Jr. as Abe Lincoln. While ABE VS VAMPS cast a young bo-hunk in the role, Oberst looks much more like the former President. Oberst exudes a gentlemanly charm, showing consideration and an even keel, even in the heat of zombie battle. If anything, Oberst is honoring the President as a noble hero, someone to look up to, and he pulls it off marvelously. I wish the rest of the cast had that level of acting caliber, but sadly, they don’t. The most distracting thing about this film is the fact that the cast just doesn’t seem to have the chops to pull off this expansive epic style of film. Oberst, though, is swinging for the fences and makes it almost feasible that this is what Abe would do if zombies roamed the post-Civil War America.
The budget here is low. The zombie makeup isn’t bad, but green screen effects and computerized blood splatter are pretty evident throughout and somewhat distracting. I understand how much cheaper it is to go the CGI route, but when it’s as evident as this, it serves more as a distraction than a way to titillate the gore hound in me. Still, director Richard Schenkman is smart about using only one or two locales and relying on stock footage to fill in the gaps to make this film look bigger than it is. Though Schenkman’s camera occasionally lingers too long and edits choppily, working within the budget, the look of the film isn’t bad.
I don’t want to apologize for this film or ignore the rough edges here. It’s low budget and apart from Oberst, a lot of acting coaches could get a lot of work out of this film’s cast. But apart from that, I couldn’t help but titter every time Abe switches open his scythe and decapitates a zombie. Call me easy to please, but I found ABRAHAM LINCOLN VS ZOMBIES to be a hokey fun time.
