Blu-ray Review: STAKE LAND – Not Just Another Vampire Flick

From the earliest days of cinema the vampire film has formed a rich heritage in which it has evolved with the times mirroring the fears of each decade and capturing the imagination of audiences. With its in-built folklore there are few people who are unfamiliar with the iconography of the genre.

Vampires have never been as popular as they are now, particularly with the successes of the Twilight Saga, Let The Right One In and TV shows True Blood and The Vampire Diaries showing there are many ways to approach the subject. Director Jim Mickle, with this only his second feature film following his directorial debut Mulberry Street, has attempted to put a fresh spin on the genre by adding a post-apocalyptic setting for his film Stake Land, released on Blu-ray and DVD today.

The America of Stake Land is a lost nation. When an epidemic of vampirism strikes, humans find themselves on the run from vicious, feral beasts. Cities are tombs and survivors cling together in rural pockets, fearful of nightfall. When his family is slaughtered, young Martin (Connor Paolo) is taken under the wing of a grizzled, wayward hunter (Nick Damici) whose new prey are the undead.

Simply known as Mister, the vampire stalker takes Martin on a journey through the locked-down towns of America€™s heartland, searching for a better place while taking down any bloodsuckers that cross their path. Along the way they recruit fellow travelers, including a nun (Kelly McGillis) who is caught in a crisis of faith when her followers turn into ravenous beasts. This ragtag family unit cautiously moves north, avoiding major thoroughfares that have been seized by The Brethren, a fundamentalist militia headed by Jebedia Loven (Michael Cerveris) that interprets the plague as the Lord€™s work.

The overall feel of the film is very reminiscent of 2009s film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy€™s post-apocalyptic novel The Road and similarly themed The Book Of Eli. Martin and Mister are essentially on a road trip headed for New Eden, a pilgrimage to a possible safe haven. On the road they meet various individuals, some join them on their journey while others come and go, some are friendly while others pose almost as much of a threat as the marauding vampires they are trying to avoid.

The film is also in a similar vein to The Walking Dead as well as obvious nods to the work of George A. Romero, not least in naming the main character Martin after Romero€™s 1976 vampire movie. The vampires in the film actually have a lot more in common with zombies in the way they look and move than with the traditional portrayal of the vampire. There are no sexy Twilight vamps here just hideous, scarred creatures oozing black gunk and dripping blood.

Nick Damici who also co-wrote the screenplay is very good in the lead role although I was slightly distracted by the fact that he looks a lot like cult horror special effects guru Tom Savini. His gruff worldly wise hunter is the glue that holds the film together, a sort of Mr. Miyagi to Martin as he teaches him the ways of the vampire and how to weald a stake. Damici who seems to have been little more than a character actor playing mostly detectives or mobsters before now deserves to do well off the back of this film particularly due to his involvement in the screenwriting process as well as carrying the weight of responsibility in the lead role.

Connor Paolo, probably best known for appearing in popular US teen drama series Gossip Girl, also deserves special mention as his bleak narration throughout the film reflects the desperation of their predicament while at the same time evoking a melancholic acceptance of how his life has been forced to change. Michael Cerveris, The Observer from Fringe and rumoured to be circling the Lex Luthor role in Zack Snyder€™s Man Of Steel makes for a decent bad guy as the leader of The Brethren, a fanatical group that pose a more immediate threat and in fact are given more time to develop actually overshadowing the vampire horde as the real villains of the film.

On a very limited budget, director and co-writer Jim Mickle, has managed to create an all encapsulating atmosphere sensibly keeping the locations rural and relying on sound effects and imagination to fill in the gaps where spending money could have led to compromise. One scene in particular, when a vampire horde attack a small village gathering by leaping into the crowd from helicopters hovering above, all we see are lights, blowing wind and a simple sound effect but it is enough to demonstrate how a budgetary constraint is overcome with a little imagination from the director.

Mickle has put together a pretty solid entry into the vampire genre, the post-apocalyptic twist in the tale is a welcome one and is well handled making it stand out from the crowd. The low-budget doesn€™t impede the director€™s aspirations and the overall result is a successful take on a currently overpopulated subject.

Quality

The picture quality is absolutely superb on this Blu-ray. The film was shot using digital technology rather than film stock and it really shows. Every frame is crystal clear, packed with detail and colour range. The only negative issue with such clarity is that it lacks the grain inherent in film and therefore looks more like a TV production.

Sound quality is also very good although levels vary a little throughout the film. Dialogue is clear if a bit quiet in places as a result when vampires appear and the action begins the sound is on a different scale and had me reaching for the remote.

Extras

The disc is well served with a good selection of special features covering all aspects of the making of the film in great depth. The full list of extras is as follows:

Audio Commentary with Cast & Crew Audio Commentary with Production Crew Going For The Throat: The Making of Stake Land Production Video Diaries VFX Featurette Webisodes: Character Back-Stories

Both commentaries are packed full of information about the film from budget and shooting schedules to acting in a horror film and visual effects. The featurettes with a combined running time of almost two hours also cover all areas of the production with comprehensive behind the scenes footage and interviews with all involved. Rounding off the package are the Webisodes which offer insight into the back stories of the main characters taking place before the film begins.

Film €“ 3 out of 5

A rather bleak take on the vampire genre adding a post-apocalyptic twist and zombie style vamps with good performances from the lead players.

Visuals €“ 4 out of 5

An excellent transfer with crystal clear picture quality and well defined detail and colour.

Audio €“ 3 out of 5

Generally good sound quality but the levels vary in range a lot between dialogue and action scenes.

Extras €“ 5 out of 5

A really thorough set of special features dissecting every aspect of the film€™s production as well as covering the characters€™ back stories.

Presentation €“ 3 out of 5

The box artwork is well put together but is slightly marred by too many quotes and blurb on the front. The menus are simple but nicely animated.

Overall €“ 4 out of 5

A decent package for a film that attempts, with some success, to try something a little different within an over populated genre.

Stake Land is available on Blu-ray from today.