Stake Land (2010)

In a world of vampires, an expert vampire hunter and his young protégé travel toward sanctuary.

Director:

Jim Mickle

Writers:

Nick Damici, Jim Mickle

Stars:

Connor Paolo, Nick Damici, Kelly McGillis

2 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Connor Paolo	...	Martin
Gregory Jones	...	Martin's Father
Traci Hovel	...	Martin's Mother
Nick Damici	...	Mister
James Godwin	...	Barn Vamp
Tim House	...	Sheriff
Marianne Hagan	...	Doctor Foley
Stuart Rudin	...	Pops The Barber
Adam Scarimbolo	...	Kevin
Vonia Arslanian	...	Dark Haired Bartender
Kelly McGillis	...	Sister
Michael Cerveris	...	Jebedia Loven
Heather Robb	...	Screwdriver Vamp
Danielle Harris	...	Belle
Eilis Cahill	...	Scamp

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

road movie | post apocalypse | vampire | canada | vampire hunter | 

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Taglines:

The Most Dangerous Thing Is To Be Alive.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong bloody horror violence, language and brief nudity.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 June 2011 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

Anoitecer Violento

Filming Locations:

Pottstown, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$650,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,258, 24 April 2011, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$18,469, 1 May 2011

Company Credits

Production Co:

Glass Eye Pix, Belladonna Productions, Off Hollywood Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Throughout filming, actor Nick Damici ("Mister") wore his mother's actual wedding ring on the pinkie of his right hand, as a way of acknowledging his character's back story.

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Goofs

When Martin chases Cooper (his dog) outside at the beginning of the movie the rain starts and stops in some shots.

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Quotes

Martin: We were all orphans. Just lookin' for something to hold on to.

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Connections

Referenced in Holliston: Weekend of Horrors: Part 1 (2012)

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Soundtracks

IN THE PINES
VOCALS: Danielle Harris
BANJO: Jim Mickle
GUITAR: Adam Folk
RECORDED AT DIG IT AUDIO: Eric Gitelson

User Reviews

A unique take on the post apocalyptic vampire movie

Ever since the success of 28 Days Later back in 2002, the post- apocalyptic genre of films has been a crowded market with its fair share of successes and failures. Notable releases such as The Road and Zombieland have been accompanied by such misfires as Doomsday and I Am Legend that, whilst entertaining, ultimately failed to hit their mark. Stakeland is a brave and accomplished entry in Jim Mickle's career, and although there are only a handful of original ideas throughout the film, the ideas taken from other movies are handled with enough skill that they serve only to enhance the overall viewing experience. It must be said, some of the director's own ideas are fantastic and show a great potential for the future - a future that the ragged band of survivors we follow throughout Stakeland may not be able to enjoy.

After our protagonist is saved from a disastrous situation which leaves him as the sole survivor of his family, he is taken under the wing of his rescuer; the elusive 'Mister', whose similarities to Whistler from Blade appear to be more than pure coincidence. Together,they embark on a road trip that tests them to their very limits as they encounter a whole host of dangers and struggle to survive whilst roaming throughout North America, picking up a number of travelling companions on the way.

In a storyline not too dissimilar to The Mist, some surviving factions of humans believe that God has sent the vampires to punish humanity and it is these that pose almost as much danger to our band of travellers as the dangerous breeds of vampire that stalk them. These cults are a welcome addition to the film, enhancing the aspect of danger and providing the basis for some of the film's more memorable moments in a standout scene where a supposedly safe town is assaulted from the air.

The initially nameless main character - played brilliantly by Connor Paolo (the spitting image of a young Colin Farrel) - has his life turned upside down at the start of the movie, however, we do not get to see how the whole world initially turned upside down, and the cause of the vampire's origins is rarely touched upon. His story is told through countless monologues that overlay the fantastic imagery of sparse vistas and urban decay, creating a sense of scale that is far beyond what we see on the screen. Whilst the other characters we meet do not have enough time to develop fully, they all play an essential part in the story, and although some scenes could have been far more powerful if the audience were affected by their plight, the suspense was enough to keep me on my edge of the seat throughout.

There are few scares to be found in Stakeland but the overall sense of foreboding doom and the generous helpings of violence and gore should please the majority of horror fans. Anyone with even a passing interest in post-apocalyptic films will definitely take a lot from Stakeland and although it is not quite a genre classic, it will certainly become a cult favourite in a few years time.

If you like this, you will love these:

The Road, 28 Days Later, Near Dark, The Signal