Stake Land - Anoitecer Violento

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

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.

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 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.

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.