Prolific horror favorite, Bill Oberst Jr (Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies, Dismal, Scary Or Die; as well as the Daytime Emmy-winning Facebook App, Take This Lollipop) is set to host the pilot episode of THE DARK CINEMA, a horror/thriller/sci-fi anthology television series, which will feature the short films of independent filmmakers in bite-sized half-hour segments.
Oberst, who has been dubbed “the new Karloff,” and also unanimously declared “the nicest guy in horror” by nearly every single industry person who comes in contact with him, had this to say about the project: “I can't wait to make like a modern-day Vincent Price. This is the creepy stuff kids dream of. I really love the short film format. It forces a director or writer to have a concise point-of-view. The films in the pilot pack a powerful punch in just a few minutes.”
THE DARK CINEMA was created by producer Cheryl Compton (writer of the upcoming paranormal thriller, Within The Darkness), who after nearly five years of working in mobile content distribution, saw that there was an untapped market for short horror films. “There are so many great short genre films out there. However, after their initial film festivals runs, they often end up fading away on a YouTube or Vimeo page. THE DARK CINEMA will bring these films to a wider television audience, not just the hardcore fans who frequent the film festivals and conventions. Most of these filmmakers made their shorts to showcase their talents, so we're hoping to get more eyes on their product.”
Compton continues, “we are so excited to have Bill on board the project. He will make a great horror host. Not only is he beloved by the horror community, he is is a passionate fan himself. He'll be able to speak about the genre and its history with respect and intelligence.”
Compton and Oberst have also teamed up for EVIL'S TOY, which is a full-length horror feature about a young college woman who becomes obsessed with a Ouija board and unwittingly unleashes a demon through the world of social networking. Compton penned the screenplay and Oberst is attached in the lead as the Demon Gadriel. They are currently seeking investors and production partners.
THE DARK CINEMA is accepting submissions from filmmakers. All horror/thriller/sci-fi sub-genres are welcomed. The producers are especially interested in films that have a possessed toy or evil object theme for the pilot, which will be filmed in early October. At this time, all films must be seven minutes or less and in a broadcast-ready format. Please see their Facebook fanpage for submission details and FAQs.
If your first thought here is, “I think the title is actually ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER,”
well you’re wrong. If you’re now thinking, “Aahhh; it’s a mockbuster
... we must be dealing with The Asylum,” well then you hit the nail
square on the head. ABRAHAM LINCOLN VS. ZOMBIES is indeed a
‘mockbuster’ (a lower-budgeted version of a big Hollywood release) being
put out by The Asylum. Now before you roll your eyes I must remind you that The Asylum has recently put out 2-HEADED SHARK ATTACK (my review) and NAZIS AT THE CENTER OF THE EARTH (my review),
two way above average cheese-fests that were a lot of fun. Can The
Asylum extend their hot streak to ABRAHAM LINCOLN VS. ZOMBIES? The film
is still going through some final tweaking in post-production, but I
was able to catch a screening of it at this year’s Texas Frightmare Weekend 2012. This will be released May 29, 2012.
The film opens with a young Abe Lincoln (Brennen Harper)
doing some chores around the old log cabin. While out chopping wood he
hears some screams from inside the cabin and goes off to investigate. It
seems dear old mom turned into a zombie and is chained up in bed. Dad
tried to put her outta her misery but messed up and shot himself (?!?).
So it’s left to ‘lil Abe to clean up the mess. Cue gunshot and opening
credits. Now ‘lil Abe is all grown up and the sixteenth President of the
United States. It seems Abe (now played by Bill Oberst Jr.)
is up to his nipples in the civil war and a raid on a strategic fort
ended badly for the Union. Now rumors are starting to spread about dead
soldiers and civilians re-animating and attacking the living. But old
Abe knows this isn’t a rumor; he fought the deadly virus and saw its
effects when young and knows this is a problem that must be dealt with
quickly and effectively.
In order to deal with this new zombie
threat, Abe puts together the best men in the newly formed Secret
Service and sets out behind enemy lines. He plans on both putting an
end to the zombie plight and to take the strategic fort and tip the
scales in the civil war. All the familiar characters are here: John
Wilkes Booth, Edwin Stanton, Pat Garrett, Mary Todd Lincoln, a young
Teddy Roosevelt, and General Stonewall Jackson. Of course not
everything about them is historically accurate, but it’s fun to see how
writers Karl Hirsch, J. Lauren Proctor, and Richard Schenkman (who also directed) weave them into the story and play around with their historical personas.
After
the setup and Lincoln and his posse arrive at the fort, the shit hits
the fan and they find themselves trapped, having to fight for their
lives against the rather goofy looking zombies that have surrounded the
fort. The good news is that there’s a lot of zombies. The bad news is
that most of them consist of a little greenish pancake makeup and fake
blood on their faces and clothes. The rest of the film plays out pretty
much as you expect it to. There is, though, one particular element
that makes ABRAHAM LINCOLN VS. ZOMBIES pretty fun: actor Bill Oberst
Jr. In general, the writers never take themselves too seriously and
they try to keep everything moving along at a good pace. There’s a few
moments that drag on and a few clever moments with some of the
historical figures, but overall ABRAHAM LINCOLN VS. ZOMBIES suffers from
a rather bland story. Luckily the filmmakers were smart enough to hire
Bill Oberst Jr. to play the lead. Oberst puts in a really great
performance and plays the role with a lot more sophistication than is
written. He manages to find a really nice balance of playing the role
of Lincoln as a serious and brooding statesman as well as a
zombie-slaying, one-liner dropping badass (in one scene Abe screams out,
“Emancipate this,” as he beheads a zombie). He blends this performance
perfectly and makes it believable. Oberst is really great in this
role. The other cast members are a mixed lot, some doing a good job
while others over act like you expect to find in a film by The Asylum.
But the biggest problem here is, as mentioned above, the rather
bland plot. There’s nothing that really grabs you (other than Oberst’s
performance). The zombie killing scenes are filmed in a more “action
flick” fashion than as a horror film. Everything, of course, is CGI
here; the blood, most of the flames, a lot of the beheadings, and this
is a shame. Just imagine an excessively gory flick about Abe Lincoln
kicking some serious zombie ass all covered in blood and guts. That
would’ve been badass. But what we get in ABRAHAM LINCOLN VS. ZOMBIES is
your standard action kills of CGI beheadings and inconsistent moments
where sometimes you need a headshot to kill the zombies while other
times you can simply stab them in the chest to kill them. As I
mentioned above, there’s a lot of zombies in this film to keep the main
cast in constant danger, but they aren’t the best looking or acting
zombies around.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN VS. ZOMBIES isn’t the best
film The Asylum has put out, but on the other hand it’s not the worst
either. There’s some fun elements in the story (playing around with
history) and some pretty bland elements (the plot, unfortunately). But
Bill Oberst Jr.’s performance alone is worth watching this one. He
really owns this role and does a fantastic job. Just don’t expect to
have bodies four score and seven men deep (sorry; couldn’t help myself).
My Summary:
Director: Richard Schenkman
Plot: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Gore: 4 out of 10 skulls
Zombie Mayhem: 4 out of 5 brains Reviewed by Scott Shoyer (Anything Horror) from the Texas Frightmare Weekend 2012
