Shudder: five films to be thankful for this Thanksgiving

1.Stake Land

Sometimes the family you end up with are not those related by blood, and that is at the heart of Stake Land. The main characters in this vampire/Western set during the “Vampire Apocalypse” are family by both choice and necessity, and you really love them and want them all to make it to the end of the film alive and well.

After his parents are slaughtered by a group of vampires, young Martin is found and basically adopted by a man we come to know as Mister. As Martin and Mister trek up north to settle in New Eden, they are joined by Sister (a nun), a former marine named Willie, and a young pregnant woman named Belle.

Stake Land is action-packed and bloody, but it also has a lot of heart; the relationships formed by the characters are strong and it hurts when something happens to them. The actors are all well-cast, including Connor Paolo (Martin), Kelly McGillis (Sister), Danielle Harris as Belle, and Nick Damici as Mister.

Damici co-wrote Stake Land with Jim Mickle, and the two also wrote what is, in my opinion, the best After Dark / 8 Films to Die For entry, Mulberry Street. You most likely remember Danielle Harris from Halloween 4 and Halloween 5, where she played Jamie Lloyd.

Stake Land is the warmest film on this list, so watch it with your family while you are digesting your Thanksgiving dinner. Happy Turkey Day, all!

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