Stake Land
Encyclopedia
Stake Land is a 2010 American post-apocalyptic film directed by Jim Mickle. The plot depicts an orphaned young man being taken under the wing of a vampire hunter known as "Mister".
.
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 travellers, 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 Brotherhood, a fundamentalist militia, headed by Jebedia Loven (Michael Cerveris
) that interprets the plague as the Lord's work.
When Mister kills the son of Jebedia, who was trying to rape the nun, the group is captured by The Brotherhood and, as punishment, Mister is left at the mercy of a group of vampires. Later, Martin escapes and discovers that Mister has somehow survived the vampire attack. They drive off together, picking up a hitch-hiker, Belle, who is pregnant. Later, they pick up Willie, a marine, who is found hiding in a workmen's toilet. The four of them later come across, and overpower, Jebedia, whom they tie to a tree and leave for the vampires. The group is soon reunited with the nun in a US Survivor Camp but, later that night, celebrations are interrupted when the Brotherhood, using helicopters, drops vampires into the camp.
The next day, the group decides to move on towards the north again. Midway, their car breaks down and they have to continue their journey on foot. The nun, while being chased by vampires, shoots herself in the head, and Willie is killed by Jebedia, who has now become a vampire. Jebedia then tortures and kills Belle; Jebedia is killed by Mister and Martin.
The duo then heads north again, in a pickup truck, where they meet 'Peggy' in a roadside restaurant. Martin and Peggy get close to each other and when Mister realizes this, he decides to leave them to continue the journey on their own. Martin finds Mister's skull locket hanging from the truck's mirror as a souvenir. Both Martin and Peggy then head to Canada
, which is now known as 'New Eden'.
giving the film a 'fresh' 78% rating from 48 reviews. Roger Ebert
of the Chicago Sun-Times
gave the film 3 stars out of 4, calling it "a good looking, well-played and atmospheric apocalyptic vision."
The film opened on one screen on 22 April 2011, and made $10,032 in its first week. In its second week the film expanded to five screens and made an additional $12,938, bringing the gross to $22,970 as of 5 May 2011.
Cast
- Connor PaoloConnor PaoloConnor Paolo is an American actor best known of his role as Eric van der Woodsen in The CW young-adult series Gossip Girl since 2007-2011.He became part of the two Oliver Stone films, World Trade Center and Alexander where he bagged his biggest break in Hollywood.He is currently playing Declan...
as Martin - Nick Damici as Mister
- Danielle HarrisDanielle HarrisDanielle Andrea Harris is an American film and television actress, best known as a scream queen for her roles in several horror films, four of them in the Halloween series: in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers as Jamie Lloyd and in Halloween and...
as Belle - Kelly McGillisKelly McGillisKelly Ann McGillis is an American actress. Her films include Top Gun, The Accused, and Witness, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination.-Career:...
as Sister - Sean NelsonSean Nelson (actor)- Biography :Nelson was born in the Co-Op City section of Bronx, New York, of Jamaican/St. Thomian descent. He began his acting career at age 10 when he landed a role in an off-Broadway play Hey Little Walter. Sean Nelson turned 13 shortly before beginning principal photography on his debut film,...
as Willie - Michael CerverisMichael CerverisMichael Cerveris is an American singer, guitarist and actor. He has performed in many stage musicals and plays, including in several Stephen Sondheim musicals: Assassins, Sweeney Todd, Road Show, and Passion...
as Jebedia Loven - Bonnie DennisonBonnie DennisonBonnie Dennison is an American actress.-Career:Bonnie played Emily Yokas on the NBC television show Third Watch. In 2007, she joined the cast of the long-running CBS daytime drama Guiding Light in the role of Susan "Daisy" Lemay...
as Peggy
Plot
The United States 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, fearing 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 undeadUndead
Undead is a collective name for fictional, mythological, or legendary beings that are deceased and yet behave as if alive. Undead may be incorporeal, such as ghosts, or corporeal, such as vampires and zombies...
.
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 travellers, 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 Brotherhood, a fundamentalist militia, headed by Jebedia Loven (Michael Cerveris
Michael Cerveris
Michael Cerveris is an American singer, guitarist and actor. He has performed in many stage musicals and plays, including in several Stephen Sondheim musicals: Assassins, Sweeney Todd, Road Show, and Passion...
) that interprets the plague as the Lord's work.
When Mister kills the son of Jebedia, who was trying to rape the nun, the group is captured by The Brotherhood and, as punishment, Mister is left at the mercy of a group of vampires. Later, Martin escapes and discovers that Mister has somehow survived the vampire attack. They drive off together, picking up a hitch-hiker, Belle, who is pregnant. Later, they pick up Willie, a marine, who is found hiding in a workmen's toilet. The four of them later come across, and overpower, Jebedia, whom they tie to a tree and leave for the vampires. The group is soon reunited with the nun in a US Survivor Camp but, later that night, celebrations are interrupted when the Brotherhood, using helicopters, drops vampires into the camp.
The next day, the group decides to move on towards the north again. Midway, their car breaks down and they have to continue their journey on foot. The nun, while being chased by vampires, shoots herself in the head, and Willie is killed by Jebedia, who has now become a vampire. Jebedia then tortures and kills Belle; Jebedia is killed by Mister and Martin.
The duo then heads north again, in a pickup truck, where they meet 'Peggy' in a roadside restaurant. Martin and Peggy get close to each other and when Mister realizes this, he decides to leave them to continue the journey on their own. Martin finds Mister's skull locket hanging from the truck's mirror as a souvenir. Both Martin and Peggy then head to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, which is now known as 'New Eden'.
Reception
The movie has received fairly positive reviews with the site Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
giving the film a 'fresh' 78% rating from 48 reviews. Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
gave the film 3 stars out of 4, calling it "a good looking, well-played and atmospheric apocalyptic vision."
The film opened on one screen on 22 April 2011, and made $10,032 in its first week. In its second week the film expanded to five screens and made an additional $12,938, bringing the gross to $22,970 as of 5 May 2011.