As we approach our fifth consecutive summer of the great vampire trend, we are finally rewarded with the trailer for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Adapted from the Seth Grahame novel of the same name and directed by Timur Bekmambetov (resident strigoi director and occasional James Gandolfini impersonator), the film portrays Abraham Lincoln as an axe-wielding, vampire-cleaving, bearded crusader of light.

The trailer opens with a quote:

...and I heard as it were, the noise of thunder. And I looked and behold was death saying, come and see. And I saw. And Hell followed me.

Presumably that's our hero quoting from Revelations 6:7-8, a passage that describes Jesus' second coming and the subsequent slaying of all heathen non-believers. And with one swift Biblical reference we've got the likening of one bearded savior to another. (You might also recognize the quote from Johnny Cash's "The Man Comes Around," which is just a very good song and I hope they use it in the movie itself.)

Benjamin Walker, little-used son-in-law of Meryl Streep, dons the stovepipe hat for the titular role. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World's Mary Elizabeth Winstead and McPoyle brother Jimmi Simpson join him, giving this the perfect balance of under-the-radar and newcomer-ness that's intrinsic to any gratuitously violent slasher flick.

Add to the cast Bekmambetov's penchant for supernatural and fantastic violence (Russian vampire-fantasy flicks Night Watch and Day Watch are both his), and we might just have ourselves a totally whacky, totally gruesome summer blockbuster (the film's release is set for June 22). But despite the trailer's clever (albeit heavy-handed) Jesus comparison, you should probably keep your expectations low for this one. Very low. It's a Civil War-era period piece with an Abraham Lincoln who axes blood ghouls instead of slavery, with the occasional random hacking of a tree. Just remember to keep it light with this one.