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.

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

The Most Dangerous Thing Is To Be Alive.

---

Genres:

Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi

---

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:

Plaga wampirów

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

At 1:13':27" Martin is on a bus looking at a newspaper. The main article is about martial law declared in the US. The photo for that article is actually a photo from the G8 summit riots, July 20-22 2001, Genova, Italy.

---

Goofs

When Martin is being examined by the doc, Mister has a half full jug of beer sitting beside his foot. When they step outside the door, the jug is empty and Mister asks the barber sitting in the chair if they have any alcohol in town. The barber then tells him there's some "sour beer but it won't kill you" and Mister then walks off to fill his empty jug. The two scenes are out of order.

---

Quotes

Mister: You wanna live boy, you listen to me. You scream, I'll break your neck. They're dead! There's nothing to be done about it but kill that thing. Can you shoot? You shoot me I'll fuckin' kill you!

---

Connections

Referenced in Until Dawn (2015)

---

Soundtracks

MANGE
WRITTEN BY John Joseph McCauley III
PERFORMED BY Deer Tick
COURTESY OF DEER TICK AND PARTISAN RECORDS

User Reviews

Real vampires are back in a another post-apocalyptic road movie

Synopsis: Orphaned Martin is taken under the wing of bad-ass Mister as they travel across vampire-ravaged America in search of the refuge known as 'New Eden'.

Aside from the fairly frequent jumps, scares and gore, Stake Land feels surprisingly subdued for a recent horror film. With its melancholic tone, ravaging of the religious right and focus on characters over action, the film succeeds in being a bit more thoughtful than many of its contemporaries. And don't go into this expecting sanitized, pretty-boy vampires a-la-Twilight. These monsters are old school to the core- more like zombies than modern takes on vampires; all ferocious snarls and messed up faces. With fairly few jumps or scenes that are likely to scare a grizzled horror fan, Stake Land is easier to recommend for its realistic world-building, mournful soundtrack and interesting, well-drawn characters.

Opening with Martin's voice-over as he introduces himself and his traveling companion, the enigmatic father figure and teacher, Mister, the film quickly flashes back to a vicious encounter between Martins family and the horrific vampires. Sticking with most of the rules of the vampire myth, it is soon established that stakes and sunlight are still useful in this tale of vamp vs human conflict. The pace is deliberately slow and the film painstakingly constructs a very authentic feeling vision of post-apocalyptic America. Guarded communities living in fear while supplies dwindle, drinking and sleeping together in packed bars until the sun rises and religious nutjobs taking over the wilderness to rape and murder as they please. It is this rendering of the Christian crazies that strikes the biggest false note in the story, feeling over-blown and too simple for the subtleties of much of the rest of the story and character drawing.

The cast are great, particularly Nick Damici as Mister who delivers a convincing performance with the familiar role of mean old git with a soft heart underneath. Kelly McGillis is barely recognizable as a constantly victimized nun (bet she must be wondering what happened to the days of getting jiggy with Tom Cruise in a Navy uniform) and the youngsters, especially Connor Paolo are good in their less demanding roles. It's particularly nice to see Danielle Harris still working, even if she has lost some of the spunk of her early appearance as Bruce Willis' daughter way back in The Last Boy Scout.

Jim Mickle should be applauded for his direction; the film works very well as a whole, with good performances from the cast, a bleak soundtrack and pacing that could have easily been spoiled by trying to appeal to a bigger audience. It is a brave movie; not overly rushed and taking its time to build to its understated climax. The action and horror are handled well and the villain is a right nasty piece of work that should stick in the memory.

The film is most memorable for its details of life after the vampires take over. The small communities that have popped up round the country feel realistic and lived in. A sense of community, of something we have lost to some extent in 2011 shines through and gives the film a nostalgic feel, as if the vampire apocalypse may help America return to a simpler, more caring time. The positioning of the cult of Christian crazies dropping 'bombs' on peaceful communities and their obsession with deliverance and the 'will of God' is the least subtle and most forceful of themes on display and does feel a little OTT in places but the journey of the characters and their encounters with ordinary folk ground the film and make up for its excesses in other areas.

Stake Land is a very well made film and can be enjoyed as a simple horror film but also as an experience of a post-apocalyptic society and the highs and lows of living in a world with a drastically reduce population.