9 Authors Who Made Terrible Films Of Their Own Books
5. Seth Grahame-Smith - Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is a title that sells itself, and it invokes all kinds of wonderful images, so why the filmmakers decided to make such a self-serious chore out of it is a puzzler. The movie was adapted from the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith, who was brought onboard to pen the script too. Looking at the ingredients theres no reason it shouldnt be lots of fun; Tim Burton was the producer, and it was directed by Timur Bekmambetov of Night Watch and Wanted fame. Instead of embracing the inherent campiness of the idea they disastrously decided to play it straight, combining an overwrought historical revenge saga with gravity-defying action scenes and cartoony CGI. Maybe they were attempting to play it so straight audiences would have no choice but to laugh, but it didnt work out that way. The movie was a mild hit for the studio, though, proving a funny title can travel a long way with audiences.
