Movie Review: 'Stake Land'

“Stake Land” portrays a world where the vampires have taken over.

The Stake Land (2011) independent horror movie is a gem for those who enjoy vampire movies as well as end of the world movies. It is far easier to relate to than the pompous vampire-post-apocalyptic "Priest". "Stake Land" is also better than "Day Breakers", relying on both plot and personal development instead of a big name star's scientific discovery to provide hope.

A vampire killer named only “Mister” wanders the land looking for monsters to kill. His backstory is sketchy, as is his behavior in general.

In his quest to kill vampires, he saves young Martin from his infected father. Mister takes on Martin as an apprentice, in an effort to save the boy who clearly has no other chance at survival and to train an equal to watch his back in the dangerous land. Martin reluctantly goes along because he has nothing else to do and no one else to protect him.

As they travel, Martin learns about ways to kill vampires though he has yet to come into his own. Yet he enjoys the support Mister gets as a vampire killer, from haircuts to welcome in every town.Mister is worshiped as a vampire killer in a world where humans are losing the war. Yet the number of refuges is shrinking by the day.

We find out why when a religious group turns out to be using vampires to kill those who refuse to believe their creed. This is why small towns are being wiped out, despite their defenses. And it is why the vampire plague spread so quickly in the first place.

After losing a friend to the believers, Mister and Martin take in several refugees fleeing to New Eden. New Eden refers to Canada, a place too cold for vampires. They are on a tight schedule, since Belle wants to reach the safety of New Eden before her baby is born. That is the hope but never quite proven.

Jebediah, the leader of the religious scourge responsible for spreading the vampire plague worldwide, is left for the vampires to feed upon.

SPOILER ALERT

Jebediah comes back as a deliberate and violent threat.The movie veers from the formula by letting some of the characters that tropes say will be saved die.

END SPOILER ALERT

We root for heroes in the making in the movie Stakeland while seeing a realistic ending that does not destroy all chance for humanity’s survival. The movie also gains a realistic flavor in that the most sympathetic characters, the vulnerable or supposedly the most deserving, are among the dead at the end.

I give "Stake Land" four stars out of five.

The Stake Land movie is a neglected but bright gem in the vampire genre. It is an A- in the B movie world, which is very good considering its budget.

The movie Stakeland now has a sequel. Stakeland 2, also called Stakelander, came out in February, 2017.