The setting of a “post-apocalyptic” world is a great tool for movie mayhem. The problem is it’s been done to death. Classics of the genre like the Mad Max series and (one of my personal favorites) A Boy and His Dog exploit the theory that following the total breakdown of society, man will devolve into hyper-violent, insatiable savages. And hey, I agree. Add vampires to the mix and you’ve got Jim Mickle’s Stake Land. Initially the premise sounds like Zombieland meets The Road, but Stake Land is entirely its own monster: a convincing and fiercely human take on survival horror.

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