In this edition of The Silver Lining, we’ll be discussing Burr Steers’ underrated adaptation, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

She may not have been a best-selling author when she was alive, but later critics would recognize Jane Austen as one of the most important writers in all of western fiction. That’s why it’s no surprise that there are dozens of adaptations of her work, with some of them dating back to the very origins of cinema. However, one of the most interesting interpretations of her stories is Burr Steers’ Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, based on Seth Grahame-Smith’s literary parody of the same name.

The 2009 novel was already quite the oddity, having been originally commissioned by Jason Rekulak, an editor who wanted to pair popular genre tropes with famous public domain stories. In fact, Grahame-Smith’s book wasn’t so much a complete reimagining of Pride and Prejudice but rather a bizarre reworking of Austen’s original text, only adding passing mentions to an ongoing zombie epidemic and including a handful of martial-arts-based action sequences.

While this literary novelty was initially only meant to supply Jane Austen fans with some pulpy laughs, it wasn’t long before the book became a runaway success and Hollywood came a-knockin’, optioning the rights to the bestselling mashup. This actually made a lot of sense, as producers thought that Austen’s beloved characters could actually make a solid foundation for a fun zombie thriller, and the title alone was sure to attract curious moviegoers.

Unfortunately, the project was trapped in development hell for years, with everyone from Neil Marshall to Natalie Portman (and even Rowan Atkinson) becoming attached to the film at one point or another. It was only in 2013 that Steers came onboard and production finally began to take shape, slowly accruing a star-studded cast featuring veterans like Charles Dance sharing the screen with more recent celebrities like Doctor Who’s Matt Smith. The main romantic duo of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy was set to be played by Lily James and Sam Riley, a curious pairing that caught the attention of romance fans.

With the studio agreeing to a surprisingly large budget for a romantic-horror-comedy and Steers boasting a clear creative vision – not to mention a solid narrative backbone courteously provided by Austen – it seemed like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was set to be a fun little blockbuster with a literary twist.

SO WHAT WENT WRONG?

Making a mere $16.4 million at the box-office despite a $28 million production budget, it’s clear that the filmmakers overestimated how many people were dying to see a George Romero-inspired take on Jane Austen. Reviewers didn’t take too kindly to the finished film either, with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies currently sitting on a 46% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and being heavily criticizing for its unbalanced narrative and underdeveloped characters.

A common complaint was that the film’s humor didn’t quite work, with the story suffering from tonal whiplash as it transitions from Austen’s deliberately paced drama elements to the silly zombie war (which is played completely straight). At times, the picture feels like two incongruous movies edited together, as the genre elements don’t necessarily enhance any of the original narrative’s tension.

Some critics also complained about a certain lack of chemistry between the leads, which is a bit of an issue when the entire film hinges on a fresh depiction of an iconic romance. Although I legitimately enjoy Riley’s brooding take on a martial-arts-adept Mr. Darcy and have a soft spot for Lily James, even I have to admit that the romantic elements could have been handled differently.

Of course, horror fans were particularly displeased with the picture’s PG-13 rating, a decision which resulted in neutered action scenes and lackluster gore effects. Not only did Pride and Prejudice and Zombies rely on easily censored digital blood splatters and zombie bites, but it also made its main characters way too skilled at dispatching the undead, making for a disappointingly toothless romp.

At the end of the day, the flick’s odd take on romance and subdued horror elements meant that it didn’t really appeal to Jane Austen or horror fans, stranding the project in both box-office and critical limbo.

THE SILVER LINING

Not every scary movie needs to be Cannibal Holocaust to get its point across, and sometimes it’s okay to share our favorite kind of spooky thrills in a more family-friendly package. There may be better zombie flicks out there (and there are certainly better Jane Austen adaptations), but if you approach Pride and Prejudice and Zombies in the right mindset, I honestly think that you’ll find an enjoyable gateway horror movie.

While I’ll concede that the lack of proper bloodthirsty zombie action is disappointing, Steers pushes the PG-13 rating to the very limit through some clever directing, allowing the film to get away with a lot more than other similar horror-comedy hybrids. The reduced rating also allows the film to expand on its blockbuster elements with an increased budget, which results in some impressively choreographed martial arts sequences made all the more entertaining by the cast performing many of their own stunts.

Ultimately, the film has the spirit of a schlocky grindhouse thriller and the production value of a traditional summer blockbuster, which I think is an admirable combination even if it doesn’t always work. Additionally, the filmmakers show a lot of love for the source material, with Steers appearing to be a genuine Austen fan and claiming to have re-inserted most of the original novel’s plot-points back into the story when he first joined the project, making it a surprisingly faithful adaptation despite its B-movie influences.

While Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is likely best enjoyed by folks who are already familiar with the original story, as the movie has to divide its runtime between tender character moments and an ongoing zombie outbreak, it’s still one hell of an entertaining love-letter to both zombie movies and classic literature. That’s why I’d recommend this zombified rom-com to genre fans that aren’t afraid of gateway horror flicks trying to do something different.

That being said, it’s still a shame that we haven’t seen an unrated cut of the movie on Blu-Ray.

Watching a bad movie doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad experience. Even the worst films can boast a good idea or two, and that’s why we’re trying to look on the bright side with The Silver Lining, where we shine a light on the best parts of traditionally maligned horror flicks.