The world has been decimated by a vampiric plague in Jim Mickle's post-apocalyptic vampire horror movie; the survivors are doomed to wander a scorched planet packed with monsters of both the vampiric and human kind - and it's the fact that both species are made to seem just as dangerous as one other that really cements the sense of terror that carries this film from its horrific first scene to its heart-thumping finale. And so Stake Land stars Nick Damici and Connor Paolo as two survivors bound together on a mission to reach an elusive - and perhaps mythical - place known as "New Eden." Along the way, they pick up - and lose - a number of allies, dodging death at every turn. Films are often described as "nightmarish," but the world that Mickle creatures here really feels like it's been to hell and back. By no means perfect, Stake Land does succeed in drawing elements from the post-apocalyptic and zombie genres, resulting in a violent vampire yarn made more impressive because it was produced on such a low-budget.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
