Here's something you don't see everyday: an indie movie as the highest critically rated horror movie of the year, and yet still people don't know about it. Yes, Stake Land was the highest rated horror film of 2011, according to Rotten Tomatoes, (For the record, Stake Land was originally released in the UK in 2010, but didn't show in America until April 2011.) It reunites director Jim Mickle and actor Nick Demici for their second horror film together after creating the cult favorite Mulberry St, but this time brings in supporting actress Danielle Harris, an expert at horror films with a two-decade long list of horror movie appearances, and Gossip Girl actor Connor Paolo for the lead.
Plot:
Everything seemed to go wrong at once. America has a political and economical collapse, and quickly after a vampire/zombie-like disease epidemic sweeps the nation, leaving no hope for any kind of social structure. While the nation is in shambles, a man known as Mister, (Nick Demici) takes a boy named Martin (Connor Paolo) under his guidance and protection as they travel north for a land known as "New Eden," where, according to rumor, there is safety.
My Thoughts:
If you were like me, I read the plot and the words "I Am Legend" kept ringing through my ears. And in some ways, it is similar to the recent I Am Legend remake, but certainly not a copy. Stake Land takes the intense scenes from I Am Legend and puts them in the landscape of The Road.
Yeah, that's a good mix.
The movie opens with one of the more disturbingly violent scenes I've ever seen, but it sets a false mood. The violence rarely picks back up to that level of brutality, and instead the movie focuses much more on the feel and atmosphere of the broken world rather then gore or "jump scenes." In fact, the movie almost entirely avoids jump scenes altogether, which you have no idea how much I appreciate.
The focus of the film is the relationship between Mister and Martin, and Martin maturing from boy to man. Yes, that's also pretty cliche, but at least they do it very well; it's perfectly paced and well-acted. However, there's a side-note that sets this movie apart. Jim Mickle looked at a vampire-ridden, decimated world and dared asked "Where would religion be?" Religion plays a steady role in the film, and not a very positive role at that. Mickle very craftily slides a question into our brains as we watch Stake Land; "What's more dangerous? The monsters created by disease or the monsters created by religious beliefs?" You're left to answer that on your own.
Stake Land was an incredibly low-budget film, but besides one scene with a racing car, you can't really tell. The sets and locations for the film were very well done, and, once again, create a beautifully scared landscape and atmosphere. My one real disappointment with this movie was the last 15 minutes. The ending feels very rushed and undeveloped to me; there was certainly more potential there. But all in all, Stake Land is a fantastic film that took an overused genre and brought it back to life again.
Highly recommend for anyone who can handle some violence and gore and yet, enjoy a movie that isn't overloaded with both.
Rating: 7/10
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