08 of 31 Horror Films I've Never Seen 2016: Stake Land (2010)

Survival is the most common theme in Horror films.  Whether it is a gang of unlucky teenagers camping in the woods or a lone survivor trapped in a house, the core of every Horror movie is survival against insurmountable odds, usually with an supernaturally evil flair.  Stories about people surviving a full blown wasteland situation are always intriguing and when you change the methods up a bit you usually get an interesting result.  Such is Jim Mickle's Stake Land.

The world presented is like George A. Romero's Day of the Dead except instead of zombies the night is filled with ravenous vampires.  The story centers on Martin (Connor Paolo), a young boy who is rescued by a lone vampire hunter, Mister (Nick Damici), and learns to survive the new America, attempting to travel North to New Eden AKA Canada.  Along the way he discovers the cruelties of mankind while learning the skills required to survive in Stake Land.  Simple and always up for reinterpretation.

What makes the film a treat to watch is the character dynamic.  Damici's Mister is a simple, take no shit, hardened kind of man.  He is a survivor.  He is tough, he is resourceful, and he shows no mercy.  Unlike most stoic hero types, however, he has empathy.  He and Martin take in a number of "strays," like Sister (Kelly McGillis) on their journey to New Eden, people who need their help but can handle themselves in this dark land where danger lurks around every corner.  Martin, is just young enough to still have the desire to help and protect, while simultaneous is being made into a man by the sheer danger of the environment he lives in.  He trains daily with Mister and together they form a unique partnership of mutual respect and protection.  Many themes that would show up later in AMC's The Walking Dead are present here, showing the universality of thought behind what would become a conflict in an unforgiving wasteland.  How does one deal with pregnancy? Old age? Lawlessness?  Self-reliance.

The look and feel of the film are grimy and bleak.  At any second one expects the protagonists to be decimated, whether by crazy religious nuts, cannibals, or blood sucking vampires.  The camera, at times, is relentless, heightening the feeling of anxiety and terror wherever and whenever possible, barely giving a reprieve except for when the story calls for it.  Mickle has worked with Cinematographer Ryan Samul since his first feature, Mulberry St, and it is clear that the two are on the same wavelength.  Wherever the story falters, and it does on occasion, it is hardly noticeable because of the expressive camera work.

Co-written with Damici, the story sets itself apart from most others of it's ilk by focusing heavily on the characters and how their survival in the world effects them.  That said, it is still a horror movie, and as such has a few faults that can be attributed to typical Horror movie tropes such, but they are dealt with so quickly that one doesn't quite have much time to think about them before being engrossed in the film once again.  Well worth the watch.

Late Phases

I've always been drawn to Werewolf stories.  My favorite of all time is The Howling, but I also have a special place for An American Werewolf In London and Wolfen in my heart.  The big problem, of course, with Werewolf movies is that the rich subtext of internal evils externalized is often shrugged off in favor of the carnivorous beast that stalks the night.  Over the years I've watched my favorite of the movie monsters turned into a boring stereotype of rage and fury, lusting after blood on the moonlit thrill of the hunt.  That or they're played by teenagers who are in love with triangle mouthed girls who can't decide between them or the vampire in their life.  Boring.  So, imagine how happy I am to be writing about Late Phases, a new Werewolf movie from the director of Here Comes The Devil.

Set in a rural old retirement community on the edge of a nondescript mountain town, Late Phases starts off with a bang, so to speak, when curmudgeonly blind Veteran, Ambrose McKinley (Nick Damici) is attacked by a Werewolf.  The story then follows Ambrose as he silently picks through his community in an effort to find out who the Werewolf is and dispatch it.  Sounds pretty straightforward, but where the film does a much better job with the genre than any of it's recent predecessors is by giving it the feel and attention of a true character piece.  By holding Ambrose up in the forefront we are allowed to examine the behaviors of those around him and at times we feel that he may be the luckiest one of all unable to physically see the ugly sides of humanity any longer.

The film still falls in the low budget horror realm, but it makes due with it's budgetary constraints by amplifying the story visually while also employing some excellent costuming and makeup befitting of the bi-pedal hulks of fur and fury.  The whole look of the film has a golden hue to it, visually representing a community of people who's golden years have now passed.  Ambrose, a gruff do-it-yourselfer, doesn't really belong here, but driven by a sense of duty, he stays to put an end to the story.  If I hadn't known any better, I would have guessed that Damici was actually blind, as he does a remarkable job of portraying the physicality of it.

I missed the film's one off theatrical run in Los Angeles, but luckily it can be rented, or even bought, on Amazon Instant.  It's not without it's cheesy moments, but Damici's standout performance is amplified by a good pace and visual element, that when you add in the gore and Wolves you've got yourself one hell of a good Werewolf movie.  Sprinkle in some great supporting performances from Lance Guest and Tom Noonan, what more do you really need?  Definitely on par with some of the greats, if not tugging lovingly at their tails.