Stake Land

An impressively bleak horror effort, Stake Land transpires within a world that’s been overrun by blood-thirsty vampires and follows two survivors (Connor Paolo’s Martin and Nick Damici’s Mister) as they attempt to make their way to a supposed safe zone called New Eden. It’s clear right from the get-go that filmmaker Jim Mickle has absolutely no interest in offering up bursts of either self-referential gimmickry or tension-relieving humor, as Stake Land boasts a consistently dark (literally and figuratively) sensibility that immediately establishes an atmosphere of palpable authenticity and realism (ie the movie comes off as a spin on The Road, except with vampires). The lack of tongue-in-cheek high jinks ensures that Stake Land generally remains taut even through its less-than-eventful stretches, with the almost episodic nature of its midsection (ie Martin and Mister move from one obliterated town to the next) ultimately ensuring that the protagonists, as well as several periphery figures, do become more and more well-developed and sympathetic as the movie progresses. It’s also worth noting that Mickle has infused the proceedings with a number of genuinely enthralling stand-alone sequences, with the two central characters’ encounter with a religious psycho (Michael Cerveris’ Jebedia Loven) undoubtedly standing as a highlight. Stake Land is, in the end, one of the most fiercely original (and thoroughly engrossing) horror films to come around in quite some time and one can only hope that the movie receives the exposure it surely deserves (ie fingers crossed that it doesn’t premiere on home video sometime down the line).

***1/2 out of ****