Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

The Book

The book is presented as a biography of Abraham Lincoln based on recently discovered journals and diaries and cleverly intertwines real historical fact with the fiction of vampires taking over the New World and building an empire based on slavery.
Lincoln is introduced to vampires at an early age when his uncle and aunt and then mother are killed by them. He then swears revenge and receives help from an unexpected source - one of their own kind. The Southern plantation owners are in league with the vampires and so the Civil War is a battle not just of freedom from slavery but against the dark forces that threaten to enslave all Americans.
As the book sticks to the main historical facts for its plot and uses journal excerpts for much of its insight, I was pleasantly surprised. This is no pulp novel, as the language used is of the time and although there are some great confrontations with vampires, it is not written in an all out action style (which was what I was expecting from seeing the film trailer).

My only nag is the overuse of dream sequences. Three times we are treated to the demise of Abe or his friends, only to realise that it is all a dream.. once would have been enough as a means to convey the danger and potential tragedy in fighting vampires.

 

The Film

What worked quite well on paper just doesn't translate well to the screen.

It could be the adaptation - although this was done by Seth Grahame-Smith himself. Losing the journal excerpts format, the script becomes stilted and the speeches and posturing become hollow. It all comes across too dour for something which shouldn't take itself too seriously. On several occasions when something potentially humourous happens, it is avoided like bright sunlight.

It could be the combination of faded colour and poor CGI that makes scenes of New Orleans, a horse stampede and battles of Gettysburg looking like moving paintings.

But most of my blame goes to director Timor Bekmambetov. He just loves his slo mo too much. There have been poor cuts - some of the trailers have more exposition than the film - which make some of the story difficult to follow. The Emancipation Proclamation that declared all slaves to be free men - blink and you miss it. Perhaps thinking the film would get too slo moed down by the history, it moves quickly on to the Civil War. In the hands of others, an army of vampires in Civil War uniforms would have been dark and creepy, but Timor wants to get straight to the slo mo bodies and shot flying through the air. 

Strangely the film leaves the assassination of Lincoln by vampire James Wilkes Booth and Henry's resurrection of him out, preferring to leave history alone when it comes to the President's murder. 

Thank goodness Spielberg has Lincoln due for release in 2013 - Gettyburg will get the Saving Private Ryan treatment it deserves and the man will have his reputation restored.  

                               

Official Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter trailer

If you enjoyed the book try Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith or Lincoln by David H Donald

If you enjoyed the film try Gettysburg (1993), The Conspirator (2010) or Night Watch (2004)