Stake Land
Dark Sky Films | Release Date: April 22, 2011 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
66
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
0
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChroniclePeter HartlaubApr 29, 2011
Bursts with action, ideas and interesting characters. Read full review
90
Boxoffice MagazinePam GradyMay 4, 2011
Stake Land is the movie "The Road" should have been. Read full review
80
SalonAndrew O'HehirApr 21, 2011
Horror fans will celebrate Stake Land, and future horror-film directors should go to school on it. The flame is still burning -- and it keeps the undead away, at least for a while. Read full review
80
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisApr 21, 2011
This unusually taut sophomore feature from Jim Mickle is more abnormal than most in that its creatures are capable not only of evolving but also of embracing religious fanaticism. Read full review
80
Village VoiceKarina LongworthApr 19, 2011
It's thick with a distinct mood-the sadness and exhilaration of having nothing left to lose-and the characters, in their desperation and drive, feel real. Read full review
80
VarietyAlissa SimonApr 19, 2011
A highly satisfying low-budget horror-thriller from helmer/co-writer Jim Mickle. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeEthan GilsdorfJun 16, 2011
This doomed world may feel familiar, but Stake Land remains one of the genre's smartest entries in years. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertApr 27, 2011
Director Jim Mickle, who co-wrote the film with his star Nick Damici, has crafted a good-looking, well-played and atmospheric apocalyptic vision. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleApr 28, 2011
Resourceful writer-director Jim Mickle covers both in his realism-tinged indie Stake Land and shows that a savvy mixture of characterization, atmosphere and gore-eographed suspense can make even the most familiar fright tropes feel vaguely organic again. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderBen SachsApr 28, 2011
Mickle's observation of a devastated working-class America is so sharp that the horror elements, though effectively handled, come to feel like an afterthought. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweApr 19, 2011
A gritty, low-key hybrid of horror film and road movie that aptly demonstrates the stylistic flexibility of this undying genre. Read full review
65
NPRScott TobiasApr 25, 2011
Though it has plenty of shocks, the film creates a wasteland that would be compellingly deranged even without vampires pressing insistently at every border. Horror is just the half of it. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsApr 28, 2011
It is a film of many ploooooches, meaning: stake in the chest? Ploooooch goes the sound effect. Yank it out again: ploooooch. Wipe. Rinse. Repeat. Read full review
25
New York PostKyle SmithApr 22, 2011
This genre flat-lined a long time ago. Why won't it stay dead? Read full review
20
Time OutJoshua RothkopfApr 19, 2011
The whole movie aches from tired blood. Read full review
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