DVD: Stake Land

Following the horrific demise of his family in a pulsating opening scene, Martin (Connor Paolo) is befriended by the mysterious stranger known only as Mister (Nick Damici).

The duo then head off into a world familiar to fans of zombie movies as they traverse ruined towns & cities meeting various characters along the way. Only this time it isn’t zombies that have caused the problem, it’s an epidemic of vampires.

Nick Damici is cool as the emotionless vampire killer and Connor Paolo is perfect as the vulnerable boy trying to survive. They meet up with a Nun (an unrecognisable Kelly McGillis) and a pregnant singer (horror movie regular Danielle Harris) but as is the case with many of these movies it isn’t always the vampires that are the most frightening thing they encounter.

The Brotherhood is a religious cult led by Jebediah (Michael Cerveris) and they believe God has infested the Earth with vampires to eliminate sinners from the world. Unfortunately Cerveris is the weak link in the cast, he too closely resembles comedy bald guy Evan Handler from Sex & The City and Californication to be taken seriously as a villain.

That aside I just wasn’t expecting this to be as good as it is. Can you believe it? It’s actually an original take on the vampire movie. Ok, it borrows heavily from films like 28 Days Later but throwing vampires into the mix is a clever and fresh move.

It’s a visceral and violent road trip that also provides moments of melancholy as the survivors long for a world they may never see again.

Metrodome release Stake Land on DVD in the UK on 17th October 2011.

Ric’s Rating: 77%

Film: Fright Night

As a massive fan of the original 1985 movie this one was always going to have to work very hard to impress me but much to my surprise this isn't half bad.

For anyone who doesn't know here are the basics. Former nerd Charlie Brewster (Anton Yelchin) has turned a corner in his life, he's dating a cool girl and making new friends, but when old buddy Evil Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) tells him that his new neighbour Jerry (Colin Farrell) is a vampire Brewster must decide to either back-up his former friend or dismiss his theory as that of a deluded teen.

This manages to strike a perfect balance of paying homage to the original and throwing in some new twists and turns. The best of which is David Tennant's turn as the updated Peter Vincent. No longer a washed up actor, Vincent is more of a David Blaine / Chris Angel type character, but throw in some hard drinking and foul language and you have a gloriously over the top creation played to perfection by the former Dr. Who.

Colin Farrell also manages to smoulder his way through the part of Jerry without ever matching Chris Sarandon's fantastic original performance.

This is a rare treat, a remake that should appease fans of the original while bringing the story to a whole new audience.

Look out for Chris Sarandon's neat cameo appearance, although it's a pity they didn't also find room for William Ragsdale, the original Charlie Brewster.

Ric's Rating: 73%

A - Z Challenge: N

N is for................................Near Dark.

This vampire film from 1987 was way ahead of it's time.

It's the age old story of a young man being bitten (infected) and refusing to kill so that he remains an outsider even within the brood.

Word is it's to be re-made so now is the time to catch the original.

It features strong performances from Adrian Pasdar (Heroes) and Lance Henriksen (Millennium) with a show stealing turn from Bill Paxton (Big Love).