'Vampire Hunter' shown on aircraft carrier

LOS ANGELES, June 17 (UPI) -- Actors Benjamin Walker and Anthony Mackie attended a preview screening of "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" aboard a Navy aircraft carrier in the Middle East.

Top hats and fake fangs were distributed to the more than 1,800 sailors who watched the film aboard its namesake USS Abraham Lincoln Wednesday, Twentieth Century Fox said.

The horror flick imagines the 16th president of the United States as an ax-wielding slayer of the undead.

"The crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln was very happy that Twentieth Century Fox and Navy Entertainment hosted the movie's cast and crew out to the ship. We had a great time watching the movie, meeting the cast and more importantly showing them why we are out here supporting operations in the 5th Fleet area of responsibility. From watching flight ops to signing autographs, the [Navy] crew had a fun time getting to know the cast and crew," Lt. Cmdr. Steven Curry, USN public affairs officer for the USS Abraham Lincoln, said in a statement Thursday.

Screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith, who wrote the film based on his novel, said being a guest aboard the aircraft carrier was "an eye-opening, life-changing experience."

"Not because we got to stand on the flight deck and have our teeth rattled by afterburners, or because the sailors made up one of the most hospitable and enthusiastic audiences I've ever seen -- clapping cheering Abe on from beginning to end -- but because we got to meet some of the most amazing, talented, hard-working and hospitable people in the world during our stay," said Grahame-Smith, who also penned the novel "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" and the screenplay for "Dark Shadows."

Co-starring Rufus Sewell and Dominic Cooper, the film opens in U.S. theaters Friday. It was directed by Timur Bekmambetov and produced by Tim Burton.