Stake Land Review

Does it need pointing out that vampires are in vogue right now? It seems like one can’t move these days without stumbling upon a new film, television programme or book featuring nasty bloodsucking beasties. And as I mentioned in last month’s Priest review, post-apocalyptic movies aren’t exactly in short supply either. So to be faced with a post-apocalyptic-vampire movie is to be faced with what could well be an overfamiliar if not dull affair. But Stake Land, despite its less than original trappings, is not a movie to be hastily overlooked.

Following a vampire epidemic (which is left unexplained), much of civilised America has been destroyed and abandoned. What little remains of humanity exists in small, isolated and increasingly desperate communities. It is in this nightmare world we find Martin (Gossip Girl’s Paolo), just as his family home is being attacked by vampires. His mother and father are killed and it is through the intervention of a wandering stranger known only as ‘Mister’ (Damici) that Martin is saved. Mister is a death-dealing bad-ass who takes Martin under his wing as they drive north for the fabled sanctuary of New Eden. En route they take on other strays including a nun (McGillis), a pregnant girl (Harris) and a marine (Nelson) and encounter a dangerous Christian cult, led by the sinister Jebedia Loven (Cerveris), that sees the vampire plague as judgement from God, who become powerful enemies after Mister accidently rubs them the wrong way.

In describing what the film is like it might be easiest to imagine the good bits from I am Legend(deserted landscapes, an often unseen threat) and The Road (blighted countryside, near constant sense of doom and isolation) though it is more intelligent than the former and much scarier than the latter.

The plot is something you’ve probably watched hundreds of times before, but Stake Landmanages to overcome the hackneyed elements of its horror DNA and becomes a very interesting film. The most striking thing is the photography, which is often starkly beautiful. Sophomore director Jim Mickle certainly knows how to compose a shot and his film frequently looks stunning. The cast are also very strong and the central relationship between Martin and his surrogate father Mister is pitched perfectly, as martin evolved from little more than a burden to Mister to something altogether closer and more complex. The themes of loss, destruction, survival and sacrifice are all handled with subtlety and precision by Mickle (the often seen US flag serves as a constant reminder of all that has vanished) – this is a horror that is about something more than the body count and the amount of tomato ketchup splattered up the wall.

The only major missteps the film makes are in its monotonous voice-over narration (like Blade Runner’s, it is utterly redundant) and in its inclusion of the aforementioned cult. Nothing really interesting is done with them and Jebidia Loven is an inappropriate central baddy – the film works best when the threat comes from everywhere and nowhere rather than from a specific entity. On a side note, the film has a very slow pace, which worked in its favour for the most part, but did drag towards the end, making it seem much longer than it actually was.

Other than that though, Stake Land is definitely one of the most interesting and compelling horror films of recent times and certainly worth the effort of tracking down upon release. I will also be keen to see what Mickle comes up with next. On the strength of Stake Land, he is clearly a director with burgeoning talent and the means to artistically and interestingly convey his ideas.