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Stake Land

Play trailer Poster for Stake Land R 2011 1h 36m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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75% Tomatometer 65 Reviews 62% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
After a plague turns America into a realm of vampires, a hunter (Nick Damici) of the depraved creatures travels cross-country with an orphan (Connor Paolo) he rescued, searching for a safe haven.
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Stake Land

Stake Land

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Critics Consensus

Though the genre is well worn at this point, director Jim Mickle focuses on strong characterization and eerie atmosphere to craft an effective apocalyptic vampire chiller that also manages to pack a mean punch.

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Critics Reviews

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Ben Sachs Chicago Reader 09/12/2011
Mickle's observation of a devastated working-class America is so sharp that the horror elements, though effectively handled, come to feel like an afterthought. Go to Full Review
Jake Wilson The Age (Australia) 06/22/2011
3/5
Like Romero, Mickle has a pragmatic attitude to genre convention: even the corniest stereotypes can be turned to new purposes. Go to Full Review
Derek Malcolm London Evening Standard 06/17/2011
2/5
Somehow its posse of American travellers, attempting to reach the Eden of Canada while assailed by vampires, seems a little dull. Go to Full Review
Patrick Cavanaugh The Wolfman Cometh Sep 11
2/5
It's hard to put a fresh spin on the vampire subgenre, so even a slightly new perspective feels like an even bigger success. Go to Full Review
Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review 06/07/2023
3/4
With sure-handed direction driving a moody tone, the steadily paced and character-driven story proves to be more than your average monster fare. Go to Full Review
Jason Best Movie Talk 12/05/2020
The pace is deliberately measured, with time to spare for the orphan hero's elegiac voiceover narration. When the action comes, however, it does so in savage and bloody bursts. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Ink C Oct 25 A vampire film that actually adds to the genre instead of contributing to the watered down movies ghat have seemingly almost engulfed the genre See more Rich C @Cordu0702 Aug 18 Liked this film. Might jump right into Stake Land ll. See more Richard T Aug 11 From the first time you see one of the 'vamps' you know this film is going to be bad, very very bad. Basic, derivative and in parts so bad it's funny. B movie fluff. See more Allan C Jun 29 I’m a big fan of Nick Damici and Jim Mickle ever since their first clever low-budget zombie movie, MULBERRY ST, and who have gone on to much bigger success with WE ARE WHAT WE ARE (a surprisingly soulful cannibal horror story) and the Netflix series SWEET TOOTH (a surprisingly sweet post-apocalyptic saga). STAKE LAND was their second film, and they had a much bigger budget than their first (only about half a million dollars), and they put all of it up on the screen to fantastic effect! Cowriter Nick Damici plays “Mister,” a vampire slayer who drives around killing vamps in a post-apocalyptic world that’s been destroyed by a vampire plague. For such a low-budget film, they manage to tell a pretty large-scale story with quite a bit of world-building. The story follows a boy who is saved by Mister after a pack of vamps kills his family. The boy joins Mister on the road, killing vampires, collecting fangs, stopping at various communities of survivors, and avoiding a dangerous psychotic cult, as well as looking out for vamps. This world is as gritty, mean, and tough as Mister, and that’s the film’s strength. As nasty and ugly as this world is, it’s the utterly compelling world-building right up to the end of the film that most held my interest. You end the film wanting to see and learn more about this world, which you actually can do because there was a SYFY Channel sequel written by and starring Damici. Even though SYFY has a reputation for cheesy SHARKNADO types of movies, this one is solid and manages to stay true to the spirit of the original, even if it’s not quite as gritty. The main thing I disliked about the film was an overreliance on voice-over narration by the boy who joins Mister, although it is his narration that explains much of the world of STAKE LAND. Overall, if you like end-of-the-world movies, which I absolutely do, you’ll likely dig this film and should seek out this hidden gem. Kelly McGillis also appears in the film as a nun they save along the way.  See more Spike D May 17 Surely one of the weakest post-apocalyptic films around. See more Jeepers C Jan 19 This is a great low budget apocalyptic movie. It is so well done. You really care about the characters in the movie. The makeup effects looks good on the vampires. The story runs smooth and is filled with tense horror, action scenes. It's gripping ending will make you go and watch Stakeland 2. It is also very good. See more Read all reviews
Stake Land

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Movie Info

Synopsis After a plague turns America into a realm of vampires, a hunter (Nick Damici) of the depraved creatures travels cross-country with an orphan (Connor Paolo) he rescued, searching for a safe haven.
Director
Jim Mickle
Producer
Peter Phok, Brent Kunkle, Adam Folk, Derek Curl
Screenwriter
Nick Damici, Jim Mickle
Distributor
IFC Films, Dark Sky
Production Co
Glass Eye Pix
Rating
R (Language|Brief Nudity|Strong Bloody Horror Violence)
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 22, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 30, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$18.5K
Runtime
1h 36m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
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