History Prefers Legends To Men

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
2012

Having just read some not so favorable political history in which Lincoln tried to have the slaves deported (among other things), the Black Buddy-having, abolitionist characterization in this sweeping fantasy biopic is a might hard to swallow.

Coached by Henry Sturges (who I had pegged in the first few seconds), Lincoln becomes nemesis to bloodsuckers, with his trusty ax.

One of Henry's many vices.

This tale spans his boyhood (marked by the mysterious death of his mother) to the fateful night at the theatre. This is more of an action-adventure movie than a horror flick. The gore is minimal and there is more planning and dialogue.

I want to like this film, I really do, but the more I find out about the real man, the harder it is to love these farces built on the legend. At least the film got it right that the emancipation was a war tactic that gave the North a stronger foothold and bigger army. However, the brutality that was slavery explained as vampires who were apart from - and not an allegory for - the south was a bit gauche.

That ax, though.

The movie does it's best to neatly tie-in events from Lincoln's life with its fantastical elements. I won't lie, it delivers the good as far as action is concerned (that trains sequence!). It does slow down in pockets as Lincoln takes a wife, trades his ax for a podium, and then exchanges political blows with Adam, the chief vamp.This is a horror-action-drama hybrid, and stylistically, it does what it does well. If  you can overlook the burning flag of the Black Buddy-loving man-that-never-was, you can sink your teeth into this one.