With its copious extended shots of nature, hushed orchestral soundtrack, and omnipresent somber narration, Jim Mickle's Stake Land feels like the Terrence Malick version of a post-apocalyptic vampire movie. That's a novel take on a genre that's been approached in pretty much every imaginable way, but Stake Land doesn't offer much beyond mood and style, with a plot cobbled together from various other dystopian narratives (especially zombie movies), and uneven acting that sometimes undermines the serious, grim tone of the filmmaking. It's still often beautiful to watch, and horror fans will likely appreciate Mickle's reverence for the concept. It's just a shame that his approach doesn't go much beyond reverence.
A big part of the problem is lead actor Connor Paolo (best known as one of the rich, pretty teens on Gossip Girl). Paolo's Martin narrates the film in a quiet, affectless tone that suggests sedation more than post-traumatic stress, and his performance onscreen is so internal that it's mostly just inert. The teenage Martin witnesses his parents and baby sibling brutally murdered by a vampire, and is rescued by a mysterious badass known only as Mister (Nick Damici, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Mickle). In the world of Stake Land, the vampires are more like zombies, attacking people mindlessly and roaming the countryside in feral packs. They can't survive in the sun, and a wooden stake through the heart will kill them, but otherwise they're more like the unthinking, brain-eating undead. With society collapsed around them, Martin and Mister head north to Canada and a supposed vampire-free safe zone dubbed New Eden.
Along the way they hook up with a pregnant waitress (Danielle Harris), a motherly nun (Kelly McGillis) and a military veteran (Sean Nelson) who explains that the Middle East has become one big vampire feeding ground. The way that these characters come and go from the story gives the movie an episodic feel, and like a lot of post-apocalyptic narratives it ends without really resolving anything. The group stops periodically in small enclaves of survivors who are trying to rebuild a semblance of society, and Martin and Mister face off against a band of religious zealots who believe that the vampires are a gift from God. Social commentary is standard for movies like this, and Mickle's take on religious fundamentalism manages not to come off as too heavy-handed. It's also not quite fully formed, and while it does lend itself to some striking moments (as when our heroes come across what appears to be a mass religious suicide, only to get ambushed), it also peters out before making a lasting impression.
You could say the same thing for the movie, which is lyrical and pretty but not particularly memorable. Mickle's first film, Mulberry Street (which he also co-wrote with Damici), was a scrappy little B-movie that similarly sort of sputtered to a conclusion, but it took more pleasure in its silly premise (people being transformed into murderous rat-creatures) and moments of nastiness. Here Mickle has a bigger budget and grander ambitions, but other than Damici, who gives an incongruously hammy tough-guy performance, no one really digs into the absurdity of the material. The Terrence Malick approach may be novel, but it probably isn't right for this material -- or at least not in the hands of this director.
A big part of the problem is lead actor Connor Paolo (best known as one of the rich, pretty teens on Gossip Girl). Paolo's Martin narrates the film in a quiet, affectless tone that suggests sedation more than post-traumatic stress, and his performance onscreen is so internal that it's mostly just inert. The teenage Martin witnesses his parents and baby sibling brutally murdered by a vampire, and is rescued by a mysterious badass known only as Mister (Nick Damici, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Mickle). In the world of Stake Land, the vampires are more like zombies, attacking people mindlessly and roaming the countryside in feral packs. They can't survive in the sun, and a wooden stake through the heart will kill them, but otherwise they're more like the unthinking, brain-eating undead. With society collapsed around them, Martin and Mister head north to Canada and a supposed vampire-free safe zone dubbed New Eden.
Along the way they hook up with a pregnant waitress (Danielle Harris), a motherly nun (Kelly McGillis) and a military veteran (Sean Nelson) who explains that the Middle East has become one big vampire feeding ground. The way that these characters come and go from the story gives the movie an episodic feel, and like a lot of post-apocalyptic narratives it ends without really resolving anything. The group stops periodically in small enclaves of survivors who are trying to rebuild a semblance of society, and Martin and Mister face off against a band of religious zealots who believe that the vampires are a gift from God. Social commentary is standard for movies like this, and Mickle's take on religious fundamentalism manages not to come off as too heavy-handed. It's also not quite fully formed, and while it does lend itself to some striking moments (as when our heroes come across what appears to be a mass religious suicide, only to get ambushed), it also peters out before making a lasting impression.
You could say the same thing for the movie, which is lyrical and pretty but not particularly memorable. Mickle's first film, Mulberry Street (which he also co-wrote with Damici), was a scrappy little B-movie that similarly sort of sputtered to a conclusion, but it took more pleasure in its silly premise (people being transformed into murderous rat-creatures) and moments of nastiness. Here Mickle has a bigger budget and grander ambitions, but other than Damici, who gives an incongruously hammy tough-guy performance, no one really digs into the absurdity of the material. The Terrence Malick approach may be novel, but it probably isn't right for this material -- or at least not in the hands of this director.
