Rent Stake Land on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Nick Damici & Jim Mickle
Directed by: Jim Mickle
Starring: Nick Damici, Connor Paolo, Michael Cerveris, Sean Nelson, Kelly McGillis, Danielle Harris, Bonnie Dennison
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
In a world of vampires, an expert vampire hunter and his young protégé travel toward sanctuary.
Verdict
While it includes vampires, it's more of a post apocalypse world hinging on survival. This is lower budget, and that gives this a raw and authentic feel. It's a bleak world and the movie accentuates that. I can imagine a big budget version of this that I'd like less precisely because it would include several big action set pieces and effects heavy shots as a means to impress the audience. The movie doesn't need that. Without those tricks, this movie's focus is the goal of surviving both monsters and humans.
Watch it.
Review
It's incredibly bleak, and that's what make this feel more authentic compared to other movies in the genre. It's the kind of movie we don't see anymore, a mid to low budget movie that is focused on story as it can't afford extensive effects.
The vampirism pandemic has spread across America, wiping out cities. What's left are fenced off areas and tribalism where humans can be nearly as dangerous as vampires. Martin's (Connor Paolo) family is slaughtered by vampires, but he's saved by Mister (Nick Damici) who quickly proves himself as an adept fighter.
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| Nick Damici, Connor Paolo play Mister, Martin |
The two try to survive vampires as Mister trains Martin. I wondered why he partnered with the kid. Martin surmises it was to stave off loneliness as there isn't much to hold onto in this new world order. Mister is heading to New Eden, rumored to be the new seat of America. Passing through a town, one of the people states he heard New Eden doesn't exist. Mister doesn't believe it, but he may by blindly holding on to hope.
When people are isolated and afraid they lash out at everything. People pose more of a threat as they will lie, cheat, and steal to get ahead. Vampires only attack. Mister has a strict sense of justice. While he mercilessly kills vampires, when he sees two men attacking a woman he kills them without hesitation. Mister and Martin encounter a camp that appears like the group killed themselves. It's a ruse, and the pair are captured. They leave Mister out as vampire bait, but they underestimate just how skilled he is.
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| Bonnie Dennison, Connor Paolo play Peggy, Martin |
Martin manages to escape and find Mister where they hit the road again. They find yet another wandering soul to join their party. There is no shortage of people trying to get somewhere better. They camp at a house where Martin finds a kid vampire. Together he and Mister stake it. Mister has this rage and maybe a sense of justice, but Martin is more likely to hesitate. He has trouble separating the task with the idea that these vampires don't still have some semblance of humanity.
Everyone that joins Mister and Martin seems to meet an untimely end. It's tough times and you have to be ruthless to survive. It's rare to find someone like Mister that's a killer with a sense of justice. They encounter a vampire that's smarter than any they've seen before. I don't find it completely believable, but it works in service of the story. Mister and Martin run into yet another person, Peggy (Bonnie Dennison). Mister realizes this is where Martin belongs, and that the only way to separate is to leave Martin during the night. It's a fitting end to their journey. Mister was never one for any kind of emotional confrontation.
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