Stake Land

• USA • 2010 • 98m •

• Directed by: Jim Mickle. • Starring: Connor Paolo, Gregory Jones, Traci Hovel, Nick Damici, James Godwin, Tim House, Marianne Hagan, Stuart Rudin, Adam Scarimbolo, Vonia Arslanian, Kelly McGillis, Michael Cerveris, Heather Robb. • Music by: Jeff Grace.

Martin was a normal teenage boy before the country collapsed in an empty pit of economic and political disaster. A vampire epidemic has swept across what is left of the nation's abandoned towns and cities, and it's up to Mister, a death dealing, rogue vampire hunter, to get Martin safely north to Canada, the continent's New Eden.

Trailers:

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Subtitles:

French Trailer

1:11

Teaser

1:30

Trailer

1:58

TV Spot - Blu-Ray

0:22

Review:

Stake Land gripped me from the opening scene. This film is shot beautifully and is one of the best vampire movies ever made. The plot is fast paced and the characters are complex and realistic. The settings are breathtaking and the cinematography is awe-inspiring. This one has cult-classic written all over it. If this is a low budget film, it's one of the most technically sound low budget movies I've ever seen. There's heart in this one that so many movies lack.

First off, the actors were all brilliant. Every single actor and actress felt natural and realistic. Even characters that died 15 minutes after meeting them felt developed and complex. The writing was profound and hurled characters through the story with a definitive vision. Particularly Connor Paolo and Nick Damici who share a true chemistry on screen. Some of the scenes between their fatherson like relationship were brutally honest and gut-wrenching. Others were eye opening and jaw dropping. These two were perfectly casted.

The settings are fantastic. Atmospheric is an understatement for the level of care of precision that went into the locations and cinematography. Stake Land weaves us through backwoods southern America, forests, mountains, villages, highways, and northern wilderness at almost a breakneck pace. The lighting, the angles, the saturation, the positioning is so perfect at times that it feels like a National Geographic magazine. Meanwhile when the action heats up, the camera is fixated on what is happening and doesn't shy away from the violence. Also, the music is OUTSTANDING and mostly ethereal or somber. It sets the mood and helps bring the beauty on screen to life.

The themes are nihilistic and dark which is right up my alley. The lore is deep for the short runtime and introduces multiple enemy types. Sometimes when the action starts rolling, it feels like a video game. You got Vamps, Scamps, Berzerkers, Thinkers, The Brotherhood, Military, and Christians all fighting for domination of the lawless post apocalyptic America. It's impressive how much content this movie has and still manages to keep the plot simple and coherent. By the way, these vampires are more like a vampirezombie mixture for the most part. The creature types are similar to I Am Legend, except infinitely better in appearance and execution. Also, a large part of the story revolves around Americans grasping for faith anywhere they can in the face of destruction and the dangerous implications that brings. Hardcore Christians will be offended for sure. Sometimes truth hurts.

I do have a couple minor complaints. First off, The Brotherhood was a bit overdone. Initially, they were terrifying and seemed plausible. As the movie progresses however, they become over the top and almost ridiculous. One segment in particular involving a Brotherhood member turned Vamp seemed unnecessary and almost laughable. This scene is saved by solid acting and the gritty style in which it is portrayed. Also instead of easing you through the plot, sometimes it just hurls you through situations like a spear through an open field. .

Review by darklydreamingrahu from the Internet Movie Database.