[yasr_overall_rating]
The zombified leaders of the free world rise from the dead to hunt down a group of ill-fated teens and give them a lethal lesson in American history. Their only hope for survival is to summon the demonic spirit of John Wilkes Booth.
Before Donald Trump became President, I always imagined the Presidents of the United States as majestic and charming creatures who were miles beyond the likes of us average folk. But, what if these Presidents were maniacal killers who wanted to murder a bunch of harmless teenagers? This bizarre concept is more or less the emotional thrust of “Presidents Day,” a macabre film that draws heavily from slapstick comedy.
The teen group is led by Ashley (Brittany Faith Rosoff) who is headstrong, smart, and pretty in the way that Jamie Lee Curtis and a hundred other horror film heroines have been. I am not sure that I could name the rest of the teenagers throughout but I do know two more characters. Jud Zumwalt plays Brett, who will be divisive among film viewers. Like Jar Jar Binks, you will either find Brett very annoying or hilarious. I found the character funny. Brett is a stoner with a heart of gold. So, Shaggy from Scooby Doo with morality if you will. Dax Hill plays Clarence, who is black. “Presidents Day” cleverly riffs on the genre trope of black characters dying early on in horror films.
Early on in the film, many of the past United States presidents are brought to life. Teddy Roosevelt is shown in Rough Rider gear, JFK swings a baseball bat, and borrowing from George Washington’s legacy, Abraham Lincoln is an ax-wielding murderer. To combat the Presidents, John Wilkes Booth is summoned to life. This whole concept is unbelievably clever, dark, funny, weird, and is a worthy concept for a horror/comedy film. Much is made that James K. Polk (Mike Ostroski) is largely forgotten by all of the other presidents. While Polk was a good choice for this role, I wondered why Benjamin Harrison or James Buchanan were not chosen instead. As the only bachelor president, Buchanan might have been a better choice for the role seeing as Polk ends up in a romance with one of the teenagers.
A lot of the humor in “Presidents Day” depends on the Presidents being evil. The humor is not complex but most of it is absurd and over-the-top. This is the type of humor that I find engaging, and if you like this style you’ll love this film too.
The movie was directed by David Zuckerman, who I know from the “Afterworld” series of short films which were much more serious in tone. I suspect that Jud Zumwalt and Benjamin Goodwin, who helped Zuckerman write the script, were at least partially responsible for an injection of such strange, solid comedy. “Presidents Day” has an infectious sense of fun and although it’s not reinventing the wheel, that’s not the purpose of this film. It is enjoyable, silly, and I had a wonderful time watching it.
Available on DVD & VOD June 6th
I loved this movie!!! I think the leader of the group was Lilly, not Ashley, and it was played by Monica Ricketts.