Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter

Some concepts are just so awesome and absurd that you can't help but to be attracted to them. Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, which is set for release June of 2012, based on the book of the same name, is such a film.

The idea of Lincoln as supernatural savior was born in 2008, when Mr. Grahame-Smith, who is based in Los Angeles, had just finished the manuscript for his successful Jane Austen sendup, “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.” He found himself in bookstores between tables full of “Twilight” novels and those piled high with Lincolniana. “Sort of shrewdly, from a cynical standpoint, I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if you could combine these two things,’ ” Mr. Grahame-Smith said. That was the impulse behind his “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” novel, which was published last year by Grand Central Publishing.

Despite the supernatural premise, the book and film both make high claims to historical accuracy, and the timing won't be bad, as much of the South's recollection of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War return to popular consciousness the events of the Civil War.

It also doesn't hurt that one of the main characters in the Twilight series that brought the modern vampire craze to its climax, as well as one of the main characters in HBO's series "True Blood" that has also been a notable example of the 21st century vampire craze in fiction are both vampires who were bitten during the Civil War.

Then again, if the world comes to an end on May 21, 2011, as one billboard campaign in Denver predicts that it will, we will never find out if the concept works.