Blu-ray Review: Stake Land

Stake Land
Written by:  Nick Damici and Jim Mickle
Directed by:  Jim Mickle
Starring:  Nick Damici, Connor Paolo, Michael Cerveris, Sean Nelson with Kelly McGillis and Danielle Harris
Special Features: 2 feature length cast and crew commentaries, Going For The Throat: The Making of Stake Land, Character Prequels: 7 Short Films from directors Larry Fessenden, Danielle Harris, Glenn McQuaid, JT Petty and Graham Reznik; Video Diaries by Jim Mickle (Pre-Production, Storyboards, Visual FX, Post-Production) and the Toronto International Film Festival Premiere and Q & A.

From the box:

America has fallen.  A vampiric scourge sweeps the nation, turning brother on brother and parent on child as the blood-hungry beasts take deeper and deeper hold upon the land.  It's hard for the survivors to know whether to be more afraid of the creatures themselves or the violent religious groups that have sprung up in response, but there is clearly only one choice:  fight or die.


Connor Paolo (Gossip Girl) stars as Martin, a young man traveling with only his taciturn mentor - a hardened fighter known simply as Mister - as protection against this blasted earth in search of the rumored save haven of New Eden.  Winner of the Midnight Madness Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, Stake Land establishes director Jim Mickle as a leader in the new generation of horror.


Forget Twilight.  You won't find any sparkly love lorn vampires here.  In fact, you won't find those Anne Rice gothic vamps here either.   The vamps of Stake Land are blood thirsty raging monsters.  You don't look into their eyes and fall in love.  You look at them and piss your pants.  Only, in this world, this dark, bleak and terrifying world, the vampires aren't the worst thing out there.  The surviving humans just might be worse.

That is Stake Land.  A post apocalyptic world infested with monsters, both human and vampiric.  When to survive means you have to be ready to kill.  When in a moment you can lose everything like our hero Martin.  His family was killed and his journey north began with his savior, Mister, as his protector even a surrogate father.

Together they travel across this crumbling world.   It's not a world ravaged by destruction but one ravaged by loss of hope in the face of this scourge.  They travel, they kill vampires, and along the way they pick up others.  A family of sorts traveling to a rumored safe place called New Eden.

That's all I'll give you story wise.  I don't want to spoil anything.

This is the part of the review where I would like to let loose a string of superfluous adjectives describing just how much I loved this movie.  Suffice it to say, Stake Land is a brilliant piece of cinema.  It's a work of art from the opening scene to the end credits.  It's a dark and epic story with a depth that is almost non-existent in horror today.

It is one of the best acted horror films I've seen in years.  The cast is flawless. Each and everyone of them shines, even in the briefest of scenes.  Connor Paolo, previously restricted to barely a guest star on Gossip Girl, shows just how badly he is wasted on that.  He drives the story here.  His story eventually becomes everyones story but it is he who guides us and he does so wonderfully.  Despite the fact that he is accompanying a vampire hunting bad-ass, you want to focus on him.  Nick Damici is that vamp killing badass and he is just that.  He plays this role like a teacher showing Martin the ropes on surviving in this terrible world.  He has this quiet intensity like a snake all coiled up and ready to strike.  Let's not forget the ladies: Kelly McGillis and Danielle Harris.  Two generations of women, one returning like she was never gone and one continuing her reign as the real heir to Jamie Lee Curtis' scream queen throne.  Two great performances.  Danielle Harris is always a draw for me to see a movie, I've grown up watching her movies since Halloween 4 and now I'll have to keep an eye on what Kelly McGillis does from now one.

It's a testament to Nick Damici and Jim Mickle that Stake Land is so good.  A stellar script and directing that could have easily come from someone who's directed dozens of movies make Stake Land soar.

The blu-ray is great.  A few cool special features, most especially the prequel films.  The picture is gorgeous which rich colors and deep blacks.  Sound is top notch also.  The growling of the vamps was extra creepy.

I gotta take a moment and point out how awesome it is that the filmmakers used mostly practical effects.  There were a couple of CGI moments but unless I am mistaken, most all of the effects were practical.  It really adds to the gritty realism of the world.  Hats off and standing o to the crew for that.  The effects were incredibly well done.

I've been excited to see Stake Land since I saw the trailers for it months ago.  I have to say it not only is as good as I'd hoped, it's even better.  I always love when a movie makes me feel like a genre i love isn't going down the tubes.  Stake Land is one of those movies and it is an absolute Must See.  It sits now as the best horror movie of the year, and one of the years best films period.

Stake Land is available NOW!

Stake Land

Pop Culture Beast Rating

10/10