Stake Land

People are turning into grotesque vamps. The remaining humanity survive in isolated communities or even as rumored cannibals. Mister (Nick Damici) is able to save young Martin (Connor Paolo) when his family is attacked by vamps. They are driving north. On the way, they rescue a nun Sister (Kelly McGillis) being hunted by two rapists. They are then captured by a dangerous religious cult leader Jebedia Loven. Mister and Martin escape leaving Sister behind. They continue north and take on pregnant Belle (Danielle Harris) and former marine Willie.

This is well-made considering its low budget. Director Jim Mickle concentrates on a dirty ugly dystopia. The characters are simple and well-drawn. It's not breaking new grounds but it's got good grit. There are also some good actors and familiar faces. It's dirty and harsh. The long rambling road trip may actually fit better as a TV show.

I checked out the IMDb rating for this before deciding to watch it at the cinema and decided it was worth a trip at 6.8, horror flicks rarely creep above 8 as they are generally poorly acted with little or no depth to the story. Not many scary films keep you gripped but this one hit the spot for me. The acting was generally very good, the sets first class and the story went at a nice steady pace with just the right amount of horror thrown in to keep you on your toes. If you enjoyed The Road you will love this as it makes you think, you find yourself putting yourself in the characters shoes and there are lots of subtle things in the movie where actions not words set the scene. If you are looking for a mindless blood fest or sexy vampires then give this a miss, if however you are looking for a horror film with an actual story and some decent acting then sit back and enjoy.

While I did enjoy this movie, I am by no means in love with it. To me it seems a bit like a modern True Grit mixed with I Am Legend. Bear in mind that's not a bad thing. I'm just using a reference to recent movies as a context. Although I will say that I am already a bit dismayed with the whole sub-genre of "Let's get to the last piece of unspoiled humanity by killing our way through zombies/vampires/what have you".

I like to think the film is really more about the bond that holds humanity together rather than killing vampires to get to some fabled promised land. Sure, killing bad guys is fun, but it's rather meaningless without knowing why the characters protect each other. I quite like the whole "Us against the world" feel of the film. To me the plot line was only so-so, but what really got my attention was the acting. Certainly not Oscar material, but everyone is just about perfect for their part. When all is said and done, I'd definitely recommend it for what it is...I just kind of wish it didn't have to be all about vampires.

We're once again in a post-apocalypse scenario, except that, in this case, the Earth has been over-run by vampires, leading to the expected chaos and societal breakdown. Connor Paolo plays Martin, a young man whose family fall victim to the "vamps" early on; however, he's immediately rescued by a hardened character named only "Mister" (co-writer Nick Damici). "Mister", you see, has adjusted quite well to this Hell-on-Earth scenario, and is already an expert vampire killer. "Mister" and Martin hit the road, acquiring other travelling companions along the way. Their ultimate goal is to reach the fabled "New Eden", which is supposedly some sort of safe haven.

One has to give some credit to Damici and co-writer / editor / director Jim Mickle here. Instead of focusing exclusively on one gimmick or another (like gore), they actually give such things as story and character the highest priority. Everything else is just icing on the cake: the gore and vampire makeup are excellent, the location work is striking, the music by Jeff Grace simply beautiful. These are characters one can really care about, and should they happen to be victimized, it really hurts when they die. Mickle and company hit the ground running, just to make sure they have our attention, then give us a road movie where not a moment goes to waste.

Plus, the acting is generally better than you may expect, with some familiar faces (Danielle Harris, Kelly McGillis, Sean Nelson) rounding out the principal group of characters who join "Mister" and Martin on the journey. Michael Cerveris is superb as an intimidating "prophet" leading a group of thugs known as The Brotherhood. This group has come to prominence in more rural areas. Paolo is appealing as the kid who will have to grow up quickly, while Damici has definite presence and makes the most out of a badass role.

This is one worth seeking out for dedicated genre fans.

Followed by a series of televised prequel-shorts for principal characters, and a sequel.

Eight out of 10.

I saw this movie because I love post-apocalyptic movies. The idea of a world with less human beings meddling with it always looks enticing. Its the same reason why we take vacations in remote locations.

First thing you will notice about Stake Land is it looks great. I am not much familiar with the cast except Connor Paolo. The actors act naturally which looks great in a film such as this. The plot is simple. It is a story of survivors of a vampire epidemic. But its the execution of the plot which is why this movie is so good. The director knows what he can and cant do. 10 out of 10 for the director's efforts.

Lastly, I wont say its a different movie than the rest of vampire movies coming out these days. But Stake Land should be watched because it has the ability to suck you in its environment within the first 10 minutes. And trust me it never lets it go.