7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Martin was a normal teenage boy before the country collapsed in an empty pit of economic and political disaster. A vampire epidemic has swept across what is left of the nation's abandoned towns and cities, and it's up to Mister, a death dealing, rogue vampire hunter, to get Martin safely north to Canada, the continent's New Eden.
Starring: Nick Damici, Connor Paolo, Michael Cerveris, Sean Nelson (I), Kelly McGillisHorror | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
Note: feat. 2 Commentary tracks [DD 2.0 @384kbps]
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
We’ve been over-inundated with bleak, post-apocalyptic movies in the last few years--I predict this trend to wither to a crisp after 2012 comes and goes uneventfully--but let me recommend one more: Stake Land. As you can probably infer from the title, it’s a vampire film, but the fanged ones featured here are a far cry from the sexy, frequently shirtless vamps in True Blood and Twilight. These animalistic bloodsuckers would sooner rip out your aorta than “glamour” you into bed, and they have more in common with the rabid “infected” of 28 Days Later than the decadently noble immortals of Bram Stoker lore. But what’s really different about Stake Land is its tone. Where most vampire/zombie films are high on bloodletting action and explosions of gore, this one is more restrained, steeped in quiet despair for an America that once was and will never be again. It takes its main cues from the end-of-the-world loneliness of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, and it features somber voice-over narration that wouldn’t feel out of place in a Terrence Malick movie. I want to be careful not to oversell the film--it’s not perfect, and it’s nowhere near as profound as its key influences--but it is a strikingly original departure from the typical horror landscape of remakes, reboots, and mindless teen-oriented slasher pictures.
There was a time when all low-budget horror movies were grimy and grainy, shot on cheapo film stock with less-than-ideal equipment, but that age has just about come to its end. With the advent of the Red One digital camera, video-shooting DSLRs like the Canon 5D Mark II, and similar rigs, indie filmmakers can now get the look of a bigger production for a fraction of the cost. Stake Land is a great example. Shot in 4K with the Red camera, the film features a digital-to-digital 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that's lush, detailed, and nearly noiseless. 35mm cinematography will always hold a special place in my analog-loving heart, but let's face it--digital is the future. Stake Land looks great. There are a few soft shots, mostly related to slightly imprecise focus, but the level of clarity in general is excellent. Facial features are finely resolved, cloth and other surfaces display visible texture, and the landscape shots have crisp definition without looking artificially sharpened. The digital color grading is also effective, alternating between a warm cast with creamy highlights and cool, ominous blues. Black levels and contrast are perfect during the daytime scenes, and although the nighttime sequences can look a bit crushed, this is probably unavoidable and maybe intentional. Source noise, however, is only rarely noticeable, and there are no overt compression issues.
Stake Land comes with two audio options, a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track and an uncompressed Linear PCM 2.0 mix. Both are capable and sound excellent, but if you've got a home theater system, you'll definitely want to stick with the 5.1 presentation, as the rear channels are used frequently in the film to strong effect. From the very first frames you'll hear cicadas buzzing in the surrounds and Mister's car making a slow swoosh from front to back. Ambient sound often adds to the sense of immersion--rain pours down heavily, a creepy hymn blares from the background, and a generator roars to life. Elsewhere, the surrounds are used for whipping helicopter blades, loud gunshots, and the screams of the undead or dying. The subwoofer activates several times to provide an undercurrent of dread. What makes the mix, though, is Jeff Grace's moody score, which sometimes evokes the 28 Days Later soundtrack, but also has its own distinct sound, alternating between quiet piano-and-string arrangements and more driving, percussive themes. The music and the effects sound full-bodied and clear. Dialogue is easily understood too, and only rarely gets muddled in the mix. The disc comes with optional English SDH subtitles.
I liked Stake Land a lot more than I thought I would. It takes itself a bit too seriously at times--the near-constant voiceover tends to be superfluous--but it delivers compelling characters, a bleakly believable setting, and no shortage of chest-spearing, vamp-killing action. I'd say it's definitely one of the better horror films of 2010, and worth checking out. Dark Sky's Blu-ray looks gorgeous, sounds great, and comes with several hours of bonus material, so I see no reason not to pick this one up if you're a vampire/zombie/post-apocalyptic film fan. Recommended.
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The Woods
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[•REC]⁴: Apocalypse / [•REC]⁴: Apocalipsis
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