Stake Land (2010)

After the collapse of society and the rise of vampiric horror, America has become a barren wasteland—where faith flickers like candlelight, and survival is paid for in blood. In Stake Land, the apocalypse isn’t loud—it’s slow, feral, and merciless.

Martin (Connor Paolo), a teenage survivor hardened by grief, journeys across the infected heartland with only one protector: Mister (Nick Damici), a stoic, battle-worn vampire hunter with a haunted past. Together, they trek north through ghost towns, militia-controlled zones, and forests teeming with savage, night-dwelling predators.

But the monsters aren’t only undead. As they pass through cult-infested territories and cross paths with desperate survivors, Martin begins to learn that humanity’s cruelty can rival the horrors of the undead. Each town they enter brings new dangers, new bonds—and the fading hope that somewhere, safety still exists.

Grim yet poetic, Stake Land blends gritty horror with coming-of-age solemnity. Director Jim Mickle crafts a desolate yet strangely beautiful vision of the end times—where every kill counts, and silence means life. It’s not about curing the world. It’s about enduring it.

When the world ends, what keeps us going—hope, vengeance, or something darker? And in a land with no future, can a boy become more than just a survivor?