BEWARE: REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS
I’ve been waiting for this vampire flick for a while, maybe almost a year, ever since a 30 second teaser was released. I was so excited when I heard it would be released this week that I was actually searching for it before it came out. My hopes were up that Stake Land would be awesome. I can honestly say, I was not let down…at all. Stake Land is one of very, very few horror films that I would give a 10/10 rating to. Before I go into why Stake Land was so amazing, I’ll summarize the plot for people who may want to see it after reading this review.
In Stake Land, a vampire outbreak occurs that leaves the world in ruins. One night, a young man’s family is attacked and he is saved by a rugged vampire hunter. Together they travel through what’s left of America, all the while the hunter is training his apprentice to become a skilled vampire hunter. With many twists and turns along the way, their group enlarges and shrinks several times. Because in Stake Land, there’s more than just vampires to fear. Religious cults and cannibals also prowl the night, making the simplest journey across country one that is nearly impossible to survive.
From the start Stake Land did a great job at creating a weird sense of creepiness. While the opening credits roll, a very haunting song plays in the background – which reminded me so much of the creepy music used in the earlier Texas Chainsaw Massacres. The film continues to create a sense of uneasiness and then just completely mind fucks you with the first full fledged scene. I can guarantee you that you will see something in Stake Land that you have probably never seen in any other horror film. I won’t spoil too much of it, but I’m just saying…I think it will definitely push on a barrier for some viewers. Keeping up with the craziness of the film, there is also a scene which I can only assume is a cut away before a rape. When you realize who is actually being raped; again, it’s definitely a barrier breaker. While these things are very shocking and unsettling for a viewer like myself, can I really complain? No! It’s a horror film! Things that shock and disgust you are supposed to take place. I guess you can say Stake Land really pulled out all the…stakes…(I had to do it…) in keeping the film genuinely horrific.
One thing I liked about this film is that there is a use of guns and stakes. Movies such as Underworld and 30 Days of Night are now focusing primarily on guns and diminishing the real lure of vampire slaying. I was pleasantly surprised to see that stakes, hammered through the heart and crossbows were used often as weapons against the undead. There was even a, probably unintentional, Buffy The Vampire Slayer reference in Stake Land. A running gag on the show is when you face your first vampire, you usually miss the heart – just as the main character does in Stake Land. I noticed a lot of almost homages to other horror films, mostly the Of The Dead franchise. Because, at its core, that is what Stake Land is – Day of The Dead with vampires instead of zombies.
Being a film graduate myself, I always look at films production wise at some point. There is nothing I can harp on production wise with Stake Land. Audio was great. Script was flawless and very, very distinctively creative. Actors were adequate to above average, which made the experience so much more enjoyable when the actors can display emotion. Special effects were great, make up was great…A couple comedic elements were tossed in too, like the santa vampire for example. The only thing I can say I wish happened in Stake Land that didn’t was I wish that Danielle Harris’ character was a lot more bad ass.
The two defining characteristics of Stake Land are A) its quality as a horror film and B) its ability to make you care about the characters. Firstly, the film is scary. The film is gorey. The film is suspenseful. It has everything you’d want to see in a quality horror film. Secondly, as a viewer, I really developed an interest in the characters and genuinely hoped they made it to their destination. I felt lots of emotion for them; all the reactions like “No, turn around!’ “Keep fighting!” “Oh my god!” It was almost like I had joined them in their journey and the ability to captive the viewer into caring about your characters is worthwhile and reflects so positively on this film.
Obviously, I loved this film. I encourage all you horrorsociety readers to go out and see it in theatres. (I think it’s on limited release right now.) But, you can always check it out On Demand in the IFC Midnight section of the Same Day As Theatres section. It is worth the price, believe me! Stake Land was the best horror film I’ve seen in years.
