What Is Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies About?
The premise of Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies in 267 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In the waning days of the Civil War, a nation hangs by a thread of fragile unity. The battlefield’s smoke mingles with the ink of political speeches, and the weight of a nation’s future settles on the shoulders of a singular, reluctant statesman. Abraham Lincoln, torn between the urgency of his famous address and the relentless grind of war, must balance the demands of leadership with the personal toll of a country he is desperate to keep together.
Against this turbulent backdrop, an unnatural menace begins to stir in the shadows of a war‑torn country. Rumors spread of restless corpses reanimating, turning the familiar horrors of conflict into something far more primal. The presence of the undead transforms the ordinary struggles of soldiers and civilians alike into a nightmarish hunt, casting a chilling pall over the already tense atmosphere. The film blends the gritty realism of 19th‑century America with a gothic horror aesthetic, bathing historic locales in an eerie, blood‑stained light that feels both familiar and deeply unsettling.
Amid the chaos, Lincoln emerges as a figure who must navigate more than political intrigue; he is forced to confront a threat that threatens to dissolve the very fabric of the Union he strives to preserve. Guided by a blend of moral conviction and gritty determination, his journey promises a collision of duty, dread, and the uncanny. The tone remains taut and foreboding, inviting the audience to wonder how a leader famed for words will contend with a horror that cannot be reasoned with, and what sacrifices might be required to save a nation on the brink of collapse.
What Happens in Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies?
The complete story of Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies, from the first scene to the last, in 930 words (about 4 minutes). Spoilers throughout. Names in the text link to 4 cast member pages.
Spoilers ahead
Abraham Lincoln grows up in a world where horror collides with history. When his mother Nancy Lincoln turns into a zombie, the ten-year-old boy witnesses a devastating sight: his father Thomas Lincoln kills himself at her bedside. In a moment of raw resolve, he seizes a scythe and decapitates his mother, an act that shards his childhood and pushes him into a grim duty. He then joins others in his community to contain a local zombie outbreak, learning at a young age that danger can arrive from the most intimate places.
As time passes, an adult Abraham Lincoln sits atop a fractured nation, steering a fragile republic through the wreckage of civil strife. Rumors swirl about a Confederate stronghold, a fortress that might tilt the balance of power: Fort Pulaski. A regiment of thirty men descended into the fortress, only one returned alive, and that survivor bears a frightening illness that seems to drain life from corpses and bring them back to an undead state. In questioning the lone survivor, Lincoln discovers a chilling mechanism for infection—blood, bites, scratches, and even exposure to infected blood in the eyes or mouth can spread the contagion, turning people within a day from “human” to something else. To confront this crisis, he forms a newly established secret service and personally leads the investigation into the fort.
Upon reaching Fort Pulaski, the team is assaulted by a chorus of threats: Confederate survivors led by General Stonewall Jackson and a host of infected attackers. The encounter earns hard losses, including the moment when Lincoln is forced to shoot a man who has been bitten, a grim reminder of the personal costs of their mission. He lays out the rules to his wary party: contact with infected blood, bites, or scratches will transmit the infection, and the clock runs fast—twenty-four hours before one’s humanity erodes. To complicate matters, an encounter with a familiar face deepens the emotional stakes: Mary Owens, an old flame who has become a sheltering mother figure to a group including a young Theodore Roosevelt (a figure mentioned in the narrative) and his daughter Sophia, along with a prostitute named Annika who protects them from the invasion.
The group returns to the fort only to face a stubborn moral divide. General Stonewall Jackson refuses to kill the infected, insisting they are merely sick and deserving of care; his stance clashes with Lincoln’s hard-won resolve to contain the threat. Lincoln’s team names the infected “zombies,” a term derived from an old Bantu word learned by Lincoln from his mother and adopted as a clinical label for the crisis at hand. In the effort to fortify their defenses, Wilson Brown, an ally on the ground, helps navigate the terrain, while Pat Garrett steps forward to support Lincoln. He leads the pair to a nearby plantation stocked with farming tools and other weapons, a crucial swing of odds in their struggle.
Back at the fort, tragedy intensifies: Mary is splashed with zombie blood and quickly falls ill, forcing the others to press onward with a heavier sense of urgency. Wilkinson protests the killing and begs to stay behind as the others venture into the township to scour the infected. Outnumbered and outmatched, only Abraham Lincoln, the young Theodore Roosevelt, and Sophia manage to return; Wilkinson, revealed as a spy, contemplates killing Lincoln but relents after seeing him in prayer, a moment that unsettles him and reframes his loyalties. With a cloak of desperation closing in, Stonewall reveals a secret cache of gunpowder, and the plan to trap and blow up the fort solidifies. The fuse falters, and Stonewall sacrifices himself to relight it, dying at the hands of the encroaching horde. Abe and Brown narrowly escape as the fort is engulfed in flame, and Mary accepts her fate, choosing to die beside Lincoln, a heartbreak that deepens Sophia’s sorrow.
Eighteen months pass, and Lincoln makes a hopeful, yet fatal, visit to Mary, who remains in the care of those seeking a cure for the illness. As he tends to her wounds, she scratches his skin, infecting him with the same contagion that has haunted their world. Realizing he is incurable, Lincoln asks for a message to be sent to John Wilkinson—a man who, it is revealed, is actually [John Wilkes Booth] in disguise, a plot woven in the shadows of conflict and revenge. The message contains critical intelligence that Booth can use to locate Lincoln the following night at the theater, a chilling prelude to the assassination that Lincoln, in a grim calculus, arranges to prevent further catastrophe by ending the cycle of violence before it can spread again. The story closes on this cataclysmic reckoning, tying a man’s moral burden to a nation’s fate.
“If they are bitten or scratched by an infected person, or if an infected person’s blood makes contact with their mouths or eyes, that they too will become infected and, within twenty-four hours, would no longer be considered ‘human’.”
This rendition of Lincoln’s journey blends a grief-stricken childhood with a chilling, pandemic-style crisis set against a divided United States. The narrative threads through personal loss, political duty, and a stubborn insistence on preserving humanity in the face of an unthinkable threat. The film balances intimate moments—unspoken bonds between Lincoln and those he cares about, the fragile alliances with allies like Wilson Brown and Pat Garrett—with sprawling, action-driven sequences at Fort Pulaski and beyond. It preserves core themes of leadership, sacrifice, and the heavy cost of making impossible choices when the line between ally and enemy, friend and foe, becomes dangerously blurred.
Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
15 key events in the order they happen, from “Childhood tragedy: mother's transformation and the scythe” to “The theater assassination: ending the cycle”. 15 events name a place, across 10 locations.
- 1
Childhood tragedy: mother's transformation and the scythe
Ten-year-old Lincoln witnesses his mother, Nancy Lincoln, turn into a zombie at their family home. His father Thomas Lincoln kills himself at her bedside, and the boy, in a moment of raw resolve, uses a scythe to decapitate his mother. The brutal event shatters his childhood and forges his grim sense of duty.
When:ten years old Where:Lincoln family home
- 2
Early outbreak containment
As he grows, Lincoln joins others in his community to contain a local zombie outbreak. He learns that danger can strike from familiar places, not just distant battlefields, which hardens his resolve. The incident plants the seeds of his later vigilance.
When:childhood Where:local community
- 3
Fort Pulaski looms and the infected survivor
Years later a Confederate stronghold rumor centers on Fort Pulaski. A regiment of thirty men reaches the fortress, but only one returns alive, bearing a disease that can reanimate corpses. The survivor's illness proves the contagion is real and deadly.
When:present crisis Where:Fort Pulaski
- 4
Forming a secret service and a mission
To confront the crisis, Lincoln forms a newly established secret service and personally leads the investigation into the Fort Pulaski mystery. He sets up surveillance and coordinates with loyal allies to track the infection's spread. The mission marks a shift from politics to proactive crisis management.
When:early in investigation Where:Fort Pulaski region
- 5
Fort Pulaski assault and lessons on infection
The team is confronted by Confederate survivors and a flood of infected attackers at Fort Pulaski. Lincoln shoots a man who has been bitten, demonstrating the personal cost of containment. He lays out the rules: infection spreads through blood, bites, or scratches, and humanity fades within twenty-four hours.
When:during assault Where:Fort Pulaski
- 6
Mary Owens returns as guardian figure
Mary Owens, Lincoln's old flame, has become a sheltering mother figure to a group that includes Theodore Roosevelt as a boy and his daughter Sophia, along with Annika the protector. Her presence raises the emotional stakes and personalize the mission. The group forms fragile bonds as danger presses in.
When:during fort assault Where:Fort Pulaski shelter
- 7
Moral divide over infected: kill or cure
Back at the fort, General Stonewall Jackson refuses to kill the infected, arguing they deserve care. Lincoln, hardened by experience, pushes for quick containment and elimination of the threat. The leadership clash intensifies the danger and tests loyalties.
When:post assault Where:Fort Pulaski
- 8
Zombie naming and awareness
The group officially adopts the term zombies for the infected, a label Lincoln derives from an old Bantu word learned from his mother. The naming marks a clinical shift in how they view the threat. It foreshadows a grim, medical approach to the crisis.
When:early in crisis Where:Fort Pulaski / surrounding area
- 9
Securing weapons: plot to fortify
Wilson Brown helps navigate the terrain, and Pat Garrett joins the effort to support Lincoln. They locate a nearby plantation stocked with farming tools and weapons, a crucial swing in odds for defending the fort. The fortification plan tightens as the threat closes in.
When:preparation for defense Where:nearby plantation
- 10
Mary infected and Wilkinson's spy reveal
Mary is splashed with zombie blood and falls ill, heightening the urgency to press onward. Wilkinson objects to killing and urges staying behind, but is later revealed as a spy whose loyalties are uncertain; his presence adds a layer of intrigue and risk.
When:after Mary's exposure Where:Fort Pulaski
Show the other 5 events of Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies Hide the last 5 events
- 11
Gunpowder cache and the fort's doomed plan
Stonewall uncovers a secret cache of gunpowder and a plan to trap and blow up the fort. The fuse falters, but Stonewall sacrifices himself to relight it, dying as the horde closes in. Abe and Brown barely escape the burning fortress as the mission collapses around them.
When:final battle Where:Fort Pulaski
- 12
Aftermath: Mary dies, Lincoln escapes
With the fort engulfed in flames, Mary accepts her fate and dies beside Lincoln, deepening Sophia's sorrow. Abe and Brown escape the wreckage, while conflict and loss reverberate through the survivors as the world rebuilds.
When:aftermath Where:Fort Pulaski
- 13
Eighteen months later: Lincoln learns he is infected
Eighteen months later, Lincoln visits Mary, who remains under care for a cure. She scratches him, infecting him with the same contagion. He realizes he is incurable and asks for a message to John Wilkinson, setting the stage for the climactic acts to follow.
When:eighteen months later Where:Mary's care facility
- 14
The Wilkinson/Booth twist and the theater plan
The message to Wilkinson reveals that he is actually John Wilkes Booth in disguise, with critical intelligence to locate Lincoln. Booth plans to lure Lincoln to a theater the following night, creating the setup for a climactic reckoning. The nation watches as betrayal and catastrophe converge.
When:the following night Where:theater district
- 15
The theater assassination: ending the cycle
In a grim calculation, Lincoln arranges his own assassination at the theater to end the cycle of violence before it can spread further. Booth enacts the plan, and the film closes on the haunting act that reshapes a nation and its memory.
When:the following night Where:the theater
Who Are the Main Characters in Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies?
9 characters, among them Abraham Lincoln (Bill Oberst Jr.), Mary Owens (Baby Norman) and Theodore Roosevelt: who each one is and the part they play in the story. 7 of them link to the actor’s page.
- AL
Abraham Lincoln (Bill Oberst Jr.)
Played by Bill Oberst Jr.
A bereaved, principled leader whose childhood trauma fuels a fierce commitment to protecting others. He is resourceful, relentless, and willing to make grim choices to preserve humanity and the Union. His moral burden deepens as he confronts both enemies and allies, testing his faith in justice.
- 🛡️ Leader
- ⚖️ Duty
- 🧠 Strategic
- MO
Mary Owens (Baby Norman)
Played by Baby Norman
A maternal figure who becomes a shelter for a group including a young Theodore Roosevelt. Her presence anchors hope and tenderness amid chaos. She is splashed with zombie blood and ultimately dies beside Lincoln.
- 🕊️ Protector
- 💔 Loss
- 👩👧👦 Family
- TR
Theodore Roosevelt
A precocious boy within Lincoln’s circle, representing resilience and curiosity in the face of fear. His bond with Sophia and Mary provides a human-centered lens on survival and growth during crisis.
- 🧒 Youth
- 🗺️ Hope
- 🛡️ Loyal
- S
Sophia
A young survivor who forms part of Lincoln’s circle, sharing sorrow and courage with the adults around her. She embodies innocence tested by trauma and the resolve to endure.
- 👧 Survivor
- ❤️ Bond
- 🧭 Resolve
- JW
John Wilkinson (Jason Vail)
Played by Jason Vail
A trusted ally who is later revealed to be John Wilkes Booth. His dual loyalty adds tension and betrayal, highlighting the fragility of trust in a collapsing nation.
- 🕵️♂️ Spy
- 🔄 Betrayal
- 🗡️ Fate
- GS
General Stonewall Jackson (Don McGraw)
Played by Don McGraw
A Confederate general whose stance on the infected clashes with Lincoln’s hardline approach. He sacrifices himself to revive a critical plan, illustrating the moral complexity of wartime leadership.
- ⚔️ Confederate
- 🧭 Moral conflict
- 🕯️ Sacrifice
- WB
Wilson Brown (Jason Hughley)
Played by Jason Hughley
A steadfast ally who navigates treacherous terrain and helps coordinate the defense. He provides practical courage and steadiness when fear runs high.
- 🧭 Ally
- 🏃♂️ Resilience
- 🗺️ Skill
- PS
Phillip Shaw (Anthony Paderewski)
Played by Anthony Paderewski
A supporting figure who contributes to the group’s survival and planning in the fort’s tense environment.
- 🧰 Support
- 🧭 Planning
- 🛡️ Duty
- G(
Garrett (Chris Marrone)
Played by Chris Marrone
A member of Lincoln’s circle who lends practical help and keeps action aligned with the mission.
- 🧰 Helper
- 🗡️ Action
- 🧭 Loyalty
Where and When Is Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies Set?
Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies is set in Fort Pulaski, plantation near the fort and nearby township (1860s, American Civil War era). Here is why the time and place matter to the story.
When
1860s, American Civil War era
The events unfold during a divided United States in the Civil War era, blending wartime politics with a pandemic. The narrative spans about eighteen months, moving from a childhood tragedy to a wartime siege and back to a climactic confrontation. The period atmosphere emphasizes relentless uncertainty, reconnaissance, and the heavy cost of leadership during crisis.
Where
Fort Pulaski, plantation near the fort, nearby township
The central setting is Fort Pulaski, a fortified outpost that becomes the last stand against the infection. A nearby plantation and the surrounding township provide resources, cover, and vulnerable moral ground for survivors. The rugged landscape—walls, gunpowder caches, and improvised defenses—drives the siege and the urgency of the mission.
- 🏰 Historic fortress
- 🧭 War-torn frontier
- 🌾 Rural plantation
What Are the Themes of Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Leadership, Sacrifice and Contagion.
-
01
Leadership
The story casts Lincoln as a burdened but steadfast leader who must balance mercy, duty, and decisive action. He forms protective strategies, directs a secret service, and makes hard calls under relentless pressure. The arc highlights how leadership shapes a nation’s resilience in the face of existential threat.
-
02
Sacrifice
Sacrifice threads through the film as characters risk or relinquish their lives to contain the outbreak. Stonewall Jackson’s controversial stance and his ultimate death underscore the personal costs of wartime decisions. Mary’s tragic fate and Lincoln’s calculated risk hinge on choosing the greater good over self-preservation.
-
03
Contagion
Infected transmission drives the plot with a clear, measurable threat: bites, scratches, or exposure to infected blood can turn a person within twenty-four hours. The outbreak forces rapid containment, quarantine, and moral choices about who deserves protection. The contagion reshapes how communities think about humanity and vigilance.
What Kind of Film Is Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies?
Dark in tone, with fast pacing and a moderate story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Dark
- Pacing
- Fast
- Story
- Moderate
- Intensity
- High
- Ending
- Bleak
A grim and relentless alternate history horror that follows Abraham Lincoln battling a zombie pandemic, blending high-stakes action with a heavy, sorrowful tone of personal sacrifice and national tragedy.
- gritty
- somber
- desperate
- anxious
- tragic
- oppressive
- survival horror
- historical fiction
- moral sacrifice
- pandemic
Content notes: zombie violence, suicide, childhood trauma, pandemic contagion, forced euthanasia.
Quiz
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