Stake Land

Plot synopsis:
When a pandemic of vampirism strikes, humans find themselves on the run from vicious, feral beasts. Large cities are left as tombs and survivors cling together in rural pockets, fearing nightfall. When his family is slaughtered, young Martin (Paolo) is taken under the wing of a grizzled, wayward vampire hunter, called Mister (Damici).
Mister takes Martin on a journey through the locked-down towns of America's heartland, searching for a better place in the famed 'New Eden', up north, while taking down any bloodsuckers that cross their path. Along the way, they are joined by fellow travellers, the first being a nun known only as Sister (McGillis), whom they rescue from two young rapists whom Mister kills without hesitation. They continue to move north, avoiding major thoroughfares that have been seized by The Brotherhood, a fundamentalist militia headed by such fanatics as Jebedia Loven (Michael Cerveris), who interprets the plague as the Lord's work.
The group is then captured by The Brotherhood and it is revealed that one of the rapists killed by Mister was Loven's son. As punishment, Mister is left at the mercy of a group of vampires, while Sister is taken as a sex slave and Martin will be kept as a forced convert to the Brotherhood. Martin promptly escapes the Brotherhood camp and discovers that Mister has survived the vampire attack and they drive off together, unable to help Sister.
Coming across a survivors' roadhouse, they pick up another traveler, the pregnant Belle (Harris), who hopes to make it to New Eden to have her child. Later, they also pick up Willie (Sean Nelson), a Marine, who is found hiding in a workmen's toilet having been abandoned as vampire bait by The Brotherhood. Willie informs the group that American forces were withdrawn from the Middle East to help contain the outbreak, and that there is no Middle East to fight over anymore. He goes on to say that The Brotherhood was partially responsible for the fall of America, ramming cars filled with vampires through blockades and crashing airplanes filled with vampires into cities. The four decide to go after Jebedia, whom they successfully ambush, then tie to a tree and leave for the vampires.
The group next encounters a survivors' settlement and discover that Sister also escaped. The same night, celebrations are interrupted when The Brotherhood, using helicopters, drops vampires into town, killing many residents. Though invited to stay and help rebuild the settlement, the group decides to move on towards the north again.
Midway, their car breaks down and they have to continue their journey on foot. They manage to avoid dangerous areas for some time but, while sleeping at an abandoned auto junk yard, they are attacked by 'berserkers', the oldest and strongest kind of vampire. They run into a corn field, and Sister diverts the chase away from the others, then shoots herself in the head when overrun.
After several days of walking through the wilderness, they take shelter in a broken-down school bus turned camper and notice in the morning that Willie is missing. The three search for him, first finding his blanket then finding Willie killed and strung up in a tree. Mister notes he has never encountered a thinking vampire before and warns the others to stay alert. Despite their best efforts, Belle is taken from their campsite during the night and Mister and Martin find her in an abandoned silo the following day, wrapped in barbed wire and bitten. Jebedia Loven, now a thinking vampire thanks to having given himself willingly to the vampires that attacked him, reveals himself and attacks Martin and then Mister. Martin manages to impale Jebedia, and an injured Mister is successful in finishing him off. Martin mercy kills the dying Belle, saving her from becoming a vampire.
The duo then heads north again, acquiring a pickup truck, and they meet Peggy, who lives alone in an abandoned restaurant and who picks off approaching vampires using a crossbow. Martin and Peggy have an instant connection, and Martin easily attacks and kills a vamp outside the restaurant that night, with Mister covertly looking on. The next day, Mister is gone and Martin finds his mentor's skull pendant hanging from the truck's mirror. He and Peggy head off by themselves, finally arriving at the border to Canada, or the New Eden for which they were searching.

Tags: horror, violence, action, atmospheric

Review:
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.
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 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.
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.
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..
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.
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.
Although I will say that I am already a bit dismayed with the whole sub-genre of "Let's get to the last piece of unspoiled humanity by killing our way through zombies/vampires/what have you".I like to think the film is really more about the bond that holds humanity together rather than killing vampires to get to some fabled promised land.
But with that said, i respect there opinions about this movie.I enjoyed this movie, from start to finish i was well entertain, sure it's gloomy, the story is simple, the action was good, and so was the script, there might not have been many words spoken in the movie, but it fits in well to make you feel like immerse in there gloomy Vamp filled world.Everyone in the movie acted well yes, there is no big name actors, and i'm happy about that.
You don't need big name actors to make a good movie.Not sure what other people expected from Stake Land, but i got what i expected, survivors trying to survive, not just trying to survive against vamps, but also against human desperation and cruelness.Decent acting, decent script, great movie, 9 out of 10.
Martin is rescued by the stranger Mister (Nick Damici) and after killing the vampire, they head to the north expecting to reach the New Eden, former Canada.Along their journey through the destroyed country, they rescue and befriend other survivors and have to fight not only against the vampires, but also a dangerous brotherhood of fanatic religious members led by the insane Jebedia Loven (Michael Cerveris).The unknown and melancholic road-movie "Stake Land" is a little gem to be discovered, with a dramatic story of a vampire epidemic in USA.
It is Director Jim Mickle's Steady and Symphonic Hand Here that Makes this an Underrated and Overlooked Horror that has been Drowned in the Deluge of Vampires, Zombies, and Post Apocalyptic Movies.This is Simply...One that's Worth a Watch for Fans of the Genre and those that are Usually Not Willing to Take a Chance Among So Many of These Types that are Out There..
This is no typical genre film, though, as the real story unfolds slowly and deliberately with surprises at every turn.Nick Damici is "Mister," vampire hunter and mentor to orphaned teen Martin (Connor Paolo) as they fight "the vamps" on their trek to New Eden, a monster-free zone where humanity has staked a claim.
Like the best genre films, the soundtrack serves to telegraph only slightly the horrors to come without overpowering the narrative with heavy-handed cues.Most of all, though, Stake Land is a character-driven coming-of-age tale.
"Stake Land" is a film about Martin (played by Connor Paolo) and Mister (Nick Damici), who travel across the nation that has become over run by blood-thirsty vampires, in search of New Eden, a settlement in Canada that promises to be a safe-haven in an apocalyptic country.
Along the way, they meet up with other, equally-like-able characters such as Sister (Kelly McGillis), Belle (Danielle Harris), and Willie (Sean Nelson), as they struggle along as desperation and death surrounds them with false promises of hope and safety.This film was amazing on every level for a horror film, and I would say that the greatest thing going for the movie are the characters.
Instead I was left with a few, quick scenes of montages to try to make the adventure seem plausible and honestly when I saw them I couldn't help but think of, the montage and the song that went along with it in, the movie Team America, it made me chuckle, because it jokingly sums up the events.That brings me to problem two, I just didn't care about any of the characters, they all seemed like "meh" to me, no emotional feeling whatsoever, which is highly unusual to me for these types of post apocalyptic adventure movies.
Stake Land plays out a lot like Zombieland, only minus a sense of humour and with the world over-run by vampires rather than zombies—although come to think of it, with its vampires looking and behaving more like zombies (of the fast variety) than vampires (of the traditional variety), one could reasonably describe Stake Land as simply Zombieland without the comedy.Since it was the skillful fusion of horror and laughs that elevated Zombieland above similar fare and made it such a distinctive and enjoyable experience in the first place, it's not surprising to find that the po-faced Stakeland is something of a disappointment—an over-familiar, meandering and rather pointless post-apocalyptic vision that ticks off the usual clichés of the genre, but brings absolutely nothing new to the table.Director Jim Mickle creates a palpable sense of hopelessness, death and decay, and with the exception of Danielle Harris, who really should start acting her age, the majority of the cast acquit themselves well enough, but despite these positives, there's nothing to alter the fact that this is dry storytelling at its most predictable (now if I could only recall where I've seen that 'crying baby in the church' trap before...
STAKE LAND from Director Jim Mickle this vampire / zombie horror flick tells the story of an unstoppable vampire / zombie plague epidemic that spreads across America (and I presume the world?)  and our band of gallant survivors have to battle their way through the hoards of zombies through to "New Eden" (Canada) where the plague hasn't yet taken hold  hmmm ...
(28 Days Later, I am Legend, and numerous others)  Within the first two minutes, Martin's family is killed by zombies, and he himself only survives because of the intervention of a mysterious stranger "Mister", a self-styled vampire stalker / executioner  who comes to his aid.Mister and Martin realise that their chances are better together than apart  so they strike up an unlikely partnership  in their quest to get to New Eden.Their journey leads them through remote towns of America's heartland, to other fearful survivors that cling together in rural pockets, fearful of nightfall (when the vampires attack).Cautiously moving ever north, using back roads, avoiding populated areas they pick up rag-tag stragglers along the way, including a nun (Kelly McGillis) who they rescue as she is being attacked by rapists, Belle – a pregnant teenager, Willie – an ex-marine and Peggy the sole survivor of a family that was attacked by the vampires.Another danger they face is the Brethren, a fundamentalist militia headed by Jebedia Loven that interprets the plague as the Lord's work.
Jebedia and his followers consider Mister as a mortal enemy, as one of the rapists Mister killed was Jebedia's son.So much for the summary / pretext of the story, now to the REAL part of the review  this film (which is really being "bigged-up" by a huge advertising campaign is a bitter disappointment  it is a real pile of drivel  Whoever wrote the music score for this film needs shooting  it was totally inconsistent with what action was taking place  the direction, script, casting, acting, editing and photography were truly woeful There really is nothing positive to recommend this movie The ONLY actor to any semblance of credibility was Michael Cerveris – who played the role of Jebedia Loven the twisted leader of the "Brethren" Everybody else should rapidly remove this movie from their CV's if they would like to work again  STAKE LAND adds nothing new  it's a very poor film, it is not even scary  it went down well in the US (Quelle surprise!)  but that probably says more about American tastes than the quality of the film I expect this film to "bomb" over here  word of mouth will not sell this film ...
no, not at all; pretty standard cinematography style; a couple of nice shots; no great action sequences, or extraordinary panoramic views, I mean it meets the professional level anyone expects from an A-category movie, but just that, nothing surprises you.Vampires are more like Zombies in this one, interesting approach, these ones are not like the invincible vamps from Twiligh-crap or True-Blood/Vampire-Diaries series.
I have just come back from a New York screening where I have had the pleasure to watch 'Stake Land', a movie I would definitely recommend to all those who appreciate movies like 'I am Legend' or even 'Daybreakers'.The movie shows in a very realistic and gritty way what would happen to the US if there was an outbreak of vampirism that turns people into bloodthirsty zombies.
The tale is told through the eyes of Martin (Paolo), a kid who travels north with Mister (Damici), a 'quiet, strong' vampire hunter, after his family has been killed by vampires.This coming of age journey, complete with many other subplots, is the excuse to tell the story of a country that seems to have lost its identity and its trying to mend the pieces of what it used to be.I had the feeling that the scenes were all meaningful and the story arcs (albeit sometimes just sketched or stereotypical) all ended satisfactorily.
One exception though is a girl who's just been turned vampire, that scene is pretty good.As a survivalist road trip movie, Stake Land is better though.
This Is one of the best Movies of It's genre I've ever seen and makes a refreshing difference from the 'usual' Zombie-based films,particularly as we don't have half of the film 'wasted' by showing us how It all began - the young lad(Martin) fills us In on the details In voice-overs as the story progresses.Nick Damici Is an actor who I'll certainly be looking out for In the future..
Beginning as an almost carbon copy of Zombieland minus the humour, the film introduces us to a post-apocalyptic world overrun by an assortment of undead bloodsuckers, and our two heroes: orphaned teen Martin (Connor Paolo) and tough as nails vampire hunter Mister (Nick Damici).
What unravels however is a surprisingly moving and unique road drama, scattered with some genuinely disturbing scenes, and ultimately one of the best horror movies these tired eyes have seen in quite some time.Tonally, Stake Land hits all the right notes, mostly due to the wonderfully sombre musical score.
It's so rare that a largely unknown horror film can surprise like this, and even for people who usually avoid the genre, Stake Land has a lot to offer.tinribs27.wordpress.com.
I don't normally like post-apocalyptic films but this was pretty good.It has scope - its surprising how much fits into ninety minutes when the movie isn't senselessly padded.There's things that add character to the post-apocalyptic world; we're told there's cannibalistic people who live somewhere (the protagonists don't visit, sensibly) and there's groups of civilisation here and there - once our heroes leave them, they thankfully aren't mentioned as having been killed - you know many films would've considered these groups loose ends and killed them, but here things are handled sensibly - the heroes don't have reason to be there longer, and once they leave its unimportant what happens to these people thus the film doesn't follow them.It was almost too action-packed to be scary although some scenes built pretty good atmosphere..
this film is defo a 7.5 however i gave it an 8 for effort after watching the making of, what they did on a very low budget was indeed impressive, lots of action, character development, and good practical effects,best bit was defo when the ending.
Released in early 2010 and directed by Jim Mickle from Nick Damici's script (co-written by Mickle), "Stake Land" is an adventure/horror movie about an orphaned boy, Martin (Connor Paolo), and a laconic, grizzled stranger called Mister (Damici) who teaches the kid how to be a vampire-killer as they team-up and journey through the post-apocalyptic landscape of Pennsylvania and New York on their way to a supposed haven in what used to be Canada.
From the director of Cold in July & We Are What We Are, Stake Land is Jim Mickle's sophomore effort and one of the most interesting post-apocalyptic horrors to come out in the recent years for it is expertly staged & brilliantly acted, and despite its low budget features an impressive production design, excellent make-up & practical effects.Stake Land presents a world that has been run over by vampires, leaving behind only a handful of survivors.
Cinematography adds an atmospheric tension to the plot while capturing every event in fine detail, Editing excellently paces its narrative from start to finish & Jeff Grace's score plays an important role in further elevating its tense mood.Coming to the performances, Stake Land features Nick Damici (who has co-written & acted in every Mickle film so far) in the starring role of Mister; a vampire hunter who along with Martin (Connor Paolo) is heading north to escape from the vampires.
For some reason the whole thing feels almost real and maybe that is because it combines the ruthlessness of vampires with the heinous sadism of some humans to create a melting pot of post apocalyptic waste land.But there are good people as well and even some creatures, such as children vampires, so called scamps, which do not seem all too hostile.So if you want to see the best vampire movie ever then forget all which you know about vampires and get immersed in a cruel, dark post apocalyptic world..
Just finished this movie so it is hard not to spoil it.I loved it.I am a fan of resident evils,underworlds,and loved 28days later too for example,but none of them could give what this movie did.This movie to me was by far the best ever rather zombie than vampire movie .It puts you straight into a very credible post apocalyptic world where the fight and struggle for survival and to find sense and faith is still on but enchanting the same time with its music and acting ,directing,..If you have seen 'the mist' and liked it ,if you like quality movies with credible script where you can actually find yourself "in the story"you will love this.
As Martin and Mister travel, they run into new people and communities both good and bad who each have their own unique ways of coping with the disaster.For a film with the title Stake Land you might think you know what you are letting yourself in for but the enemies are rather ambiguous and are what I would call the offspring of a vampire (only come out at night, need to be staked etc) and a zombie (brain dead drones, don't get bit or you will turn etc).
Not only the story is good, but the feel of the movie is perfect, the vampire effects are right on and people are acting quite well.
Stake Land is a horror/vampire movie.
Stake Land is just another scary vampire movie with good actors and a well developed plot.