Stake Land 2

Cult 2010 vampire horror Stake Land introduced a vivid post-apocalypse world where traumatised teenager Martin (Connor Paolo) and enigmatic hunter Mister (Nick Damici) roamed American badlands overrun by feral bloodsuckers and their fanatical human acolytes. Paolo and Damici (who also delivers another taut and terse script) return for this leaves-you-wanting-more sequel, in which Martin's "happy-ever-after" life turns to ashes, forcing him to go on the road to find his old vampire-killing mentor, still somewhere in a wilderness populated by the good, the bad and the bloodthirsty. Original director Jim Mickle (Cold in July) has moved on, so Dan Berk and Robert Olsen take co-directing duties here and skilfully use the desolate but beautifully rendered Saskatchewan locations to create an ominous atmosphere. Admittedly, some of the mystery of Mister is diluted here, as the past is revealed when the dour duo realise their vampire nemesis is no stranger. But the strength of the first film wasn't just the sudden, savage moments, but the relationship between orphaned Martin and taciturn Mister (a crusty mixture of Clint Eastwood and John Wayne), and that evolves movingly and thrillingly here.