Fearnet was among the several journalists lucky enough to attend a special Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter event in Springfield, Illinois where they saw the AL:VH teaser trailer & some additional footage. Here are the scenes they saw & have described:
One of the scenes we were shown last night featured Lincoln (played by New York stage actor Benjamin Walker) as a young man, still grieving after his mother has been killed by vampires, honing his skill with an axe under the instruction of his mentor, Henry Sturges (played by Dominic Cooper). Walking through a sunlit forest, Sturges instructs Lincoln to think of the things he hates most in life, and tells him to focus his aggression on a tree. Growing more enraged with each swing of his axe, Lincoln’s anger culminates in an explosive blow that takes down the entire tree in a slow-mo, CGI-enhanced money shot, chunks of wood hurtling at the screen. (This shot is featured in the trailer, and will doubtlessly prove even more effective in 3D). Sturges then tells Lincoln to do the same to every other tree in the woods.
Another scene showed Lincoln targeting a local shopkeeper who’s secretly a vampire, and a mano-a-mano fight ensuing in his tiny store. It’s a fight that quickly ends, with Lincoln falling through a trap door into a basement/dungeon, where he’s immediately ensnared by his legs and strung upside down alongside several other men.
A quieter scene was one in which the young Lincoln is courting his wife to be, Mary Todd (as played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead), by a lake, as the two enjoy a picnic in the park. Here Honest Abe reveals to Mary his nighttime activities, and exactly how many vampires he’s killed. She’s amused, but unconvinced, though she plays along with what she believes is a joke.
The film’s trailer contained additional footage, including Matrix-style shots of Lincoln fighting vampires; a shot of him riding his horse into combat along with the Union’s massive army; a shot of Lincoln delivering what I believe was the Gettysburg Address (the words of which apparently take on a double meaning in the film); and a shot of two of Lincoln’s vampire adversaries, Adam (Rufus Sewell) and Vadoma (Erin Wasson).
When asked about a possible sequel, author Seth Grahame-Smith said yes.
“The short answer is yes. If you read the book there’s a little epilogue that sort of leaves things a little open to that. I think, in the film, without giving anything away… we don’t definitely end with the origin story. So yes.”
Read the full interview by clicking on the link above & check back tomorrow for the teaser trailer! Should be fantastic!