The ‘American Primeval’ Creator Wrote the Great War Horror ‘Overlord’

Recently landing on Netflix, American Primeval has quickly gathered a vocal fanbase for its compelling and raw vision of American westward expansion, featuring a fascinating cast of characters. Show creator Mark L. Smith became a notable name in a short period due to the series’ success. It’s a stunning TV debut, but it should’ve been expected from the writer of The Revenant, Twisters, The Midnight Sky, and more films.

One of the most underappreciated projects that Mark L. Smith worked on was the wartime horror flick, Overlord. Let’s take a look at where the 2018 movie excels and how, if at all, it draws a connection to American Primeval.

Gunfire, Gore, Zombies & More in ‘Overlord’

Overlord

Release Date

November 1, 2018

Cast

Wyatt Russell
, Jovan Adepo
, Pilou Asbæk
, Mathilde Ollivier
, John Magaro
, Iain De Caestecker
, Bokeem Woodbine
, Dominic Applewhite
, Jacob Anderson
, Mark McKenna
, Gianny Taufer
, Erich Redman
, Patrick Brammall
, Joseph Quinn
, Hayley Carmichael
, Marc Rissmann
, Meg Foster
, Sarah Finigan
, Gunther Wurger
, Bart Lambert
, Michael Epp
, Tom Mothersdale
, Ross Tomlinson
, Alison Thea-Skot
, Ben Tavassoli

Runtime

110 minutes

Expand

Taking place on D-Day during World War II, Overlord follows a group of American paratroopers tasked with destroying a German radio-jamming tower located behind enemy lines. When their plane is shot down and with only a few members surviving, they decide to push forward with the mission despite the casualties. Aided by a French villager, the troop pushes forward to an abandoned church where the jammer is held. However, the horrors of war transform into something more ghastly when they come up against hordes of zombies created through Nazi experimentation with the occult and fringe science.

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Overlord was directed by Julius Avery, who, while not necessarily a big name in genre cinema, would end up finding a moderate following for Overlord and his follow-up films in 2022’s Sylvester Stallone-led superhero movie Samaritan and the recent religious horror film, The Pope’s Exorcist. The connection between the creator of American Primeval and Overlord, Mark L. Smith, comes from a co-writing credit with Billy Ray. Smith came from his most acclaimed work in 2015’s The Revenant before tackling Nazi zombies in Overlord. The story of Overlord is primarily focused around Jovan Adepo as Private First Class Edward Boyce, with Wyatt Russell as Corporal Lewis Ford and Mathilde Ollivier as Chloe Laurent in key roles.

‘Overlord’ Is One of the Most Horrifying War Movies

War presents a real-life horror seldom heightened by the inclusion of monsters or the supernatural, which has made the mash-up hit or miss. Such stand-outs as Dog Soldiers, R-Point, or Trench 11 exist. Still, dozens of others miss the mark for every movie that mixes the horrors brought on humanity with something otherworldly to significant effect. Fortunately, Overlord does a fantastic job of capturing both the chaos and terror of war while introducing a macabre element to equal success. The opening sequence, in particular, showing the American troopers flying over and coming face to face with the utter sh*tshow of the front line, paints as harrowing a picture as the undead they face later.

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The visions of war transition into what most would consider a more ‘typical’ horror movie, with the focus on the Nazi experiments to raise the dead as soldiers, playing into the long-held (yet highly entertaining on the screen) myth of Nazi experimentation with the occult (more via Aeon). Still, what makes Overlord such a prevailing success among horror fans who have seen or are discovering it now is how smoothly everything flows. A testament to the writing ability of Mark L. Smith, Overlord encapsulates the best of both genres and weaves them together seamlessly to fully immerse the viewer in the experience.

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Critics were favorable to Overlord, with the movie currently standing at 82% with 225 reviews. The praise was not enough to save the film from becoming a moderate horror movie box office flop, grossing only $41.6 million worldwide on a $38 million budget. Yet, the movie has slowly built up a cult status among fans, offering one of the only ‘big budget Nazi zombie’ movies ever to be made; and given the poor box office performance, perhaps the last.

This growing appreciation also comes from the slow abandonment of ‘boring’ as a critique of horror movies, which more than often indicates a horror fan with a limited scope of the genre. Besides balancing war and horror, the movie also succeeds at bringing drama and superb character development, which is another element feeding into renewed appreciation since its lukewarm debut.

Will Fans of ‘American Primeval’ Like ‘Overlord’?

The themes, genre, and approach of Overlord and American Primeval are drastically different, and many are likely unaware of Mark L. Smith’s involvement in both. The crossover audience certainly exists, but it will come down to fans who like a bit of violent history and don’t mind if it’s embellished. Both titles are certainly appealing to fans of both Westerns and horror movies, with those who stick exclusively to one or the other not likely to appreciate both projects.

However, Mark L. Smith’s ability to blend genres and create well-executed scripts with fascinating characters is certainly highlighted through both projects, and, if given a chance, more people might like both titles more than you’d think. You can stream American Primeval on Netflix. Overlord is available to rent or buy on the usual platforms, but is streaming for free on Pluto TV here and on Tubi through the link below:

Watch Overlord

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