The Stakelander: The unknown movie sequel

5 years ago, I was introduced to the talents of Jim Mickle and Nick Damici through the excellent Stake Land. It was a gut wrenching journey though a vampire infested apocalyptic landscape where people were just as dangerous as the zombie like vampires. For viewers of the TV show, The Walking Dead, this is now familiar territory. But 5 years ago, it wasn't so well used a concept. There were strong scenes of infantcide, and implied rape, in which we saw an 80s favourite; Kelly McGillis in a very different role from her most famous, as that of Charlie in Top Gun. The film had a noir aspect to it with the narration from Connor Paolo' character Martin. It felt a fresh movie big budgeted than the estimated $650K that it reportedly cost.
So, inexplicably, we find that a secret sequel has been made with no fanfare until now. Similarly to Phantasm Ravager, the fifth in the Phantasm series, no prior announcement was made until production was completed. In the age of the internet, this is unusual and welcome. You couldn't do with this with just any movie, of course, but Stake Land, like Phantasm, has it's fair share of fans.

The characters of "Mister" and Martin were well written and well acted by the leads. The supporting cast were also memorable. It was great to see vampires true to their origins and not anaemic types that we saw (or avoided) in the Twilight saga.

The name Stakelander conjures up memories of Highlander, which celebrates it's 30th anniversary soon. Highlander spawned a TV show and I understood that a treatment for a Stake Land TV show was circulating. This treatment may well have been the beginning of a continuation that has now been released as a TV movie premiere. SyFy have co-financed it as a "SyFy Original".  As little is known about it (It hasn't got an entry on imdb, as I write) it's difficult to guess at what format it will be released in first; TV, disc or VOD.

The Press:

Dark Sky Films, Glass Eye Pix and Syfy today announced the completion of production on THE STAKELANDER, the eagerly anticipated follow-up to the acclaimed action horror hit Stake Land. The film, based on an original screenplay by Nick Damici, wrapped shooting in Saskatchewan this past week. Damici and co-star Connor Paolo reprise their Stake Land roles in the new film, which was directed by the team of Dan Berk and Robert Olsen of Last Pictures, creators of the 2015 thriller Body.

Damici, co-writer and star of We Are What We Are and Cold in July, returns in the role of Mister and Connor Paolo (Mystic River, TV's Revenge) is back as Martin in a new adventure set a few years after the events in Stake Land, in which mankind must struggle to survive in the wake of a vampire apocalypse. Also starring are Laura Abramsen (Basic Human Needs), AC Peterson (Shooter), Bonnie Dennison (Beneath), Kristina Hughes (Green River) and Steven Williams (TV's Supernatural).

Dark Sky Films, Glass Eye Pix and Syfy today announced the completion of production on THE STAKELANDER, the eagerly anticipated follow-up to the acclaimed action horror hit Stake Land. The film, based on an original screenplay by Nick Damici, wrapped shooting in Saskatchewan this past week. Damici and co-star Connor Paolo reprise their Stake Land roles in the new film, which was directed by the team of Dan Berk and Robert Olsen of Last Pictures, creators of the 2015 thriller Body.

Damici, co-writer and star of We Are What We Are and Cold in July, returns in the role of Mister and Connor Paolo (Mystic River, TV's Revenge) is back as Martin in a new adventure set a few years after the events in Stake Land, in which mankind must struggle to survive in the wake of a vampire apocalypse. Also starring are Laura Abramsen (Basic Human Needs), AC Peterson (Shooter), Bonnie Dennison (Beneath), Kristina Hughes (Green River) and Steven Williams (TV's Supernatural).

THE STAKELANDER was produced by Peter Phok and Larry Fessenden of Glass Eye Pix, Greg Newman of Dark Sky Films and co-produced by the Syfy Channel, where the film will premiere as a Syfy Original, as well as Mark Montague of Berkserker Entertainment. Chadd Harbold of Last Pictures supported as Associate Producer. The film marks the latest collaboration between Dark Sky Films and Glass Eye Pix, the production teams that have brought audiences countless successful elevated genre films, including Stake Land, The House of the Devil, The Innkeepers and Late Phases, among others. 

When his home of New Eden is destroyed by a revitalized Brotherhood and its new Vamp leader, Martin finds himself alone in the badlands of America with only the distant memory of his mentor and legendary vampire hunter, Mister, to guide him. Roaming the wilderness of a steadily decaying country, Martin goes in search of the one man who can help him get revenge. Once reunited, Mister and Martin prepare to battle a now-ravenous Brotherhood and its monstrous overlord. But it'll take more than the two of them to take down this terrifying new threat, and with more than just their lives now at risk, the stakes are higher than ever before. 

Producer Greg Newman said: "Jim Mickle's Stake Land has long been an audience favorite.  The film was embraced by fans across the world and we are thrilled to see Nick Damici reprise his role of Mister, the master Vamp hunter."

Producer Peter Phok said: "It has been so rewarding to bring such energetic and intelligent talents in Dan and Robert to further the story of Martin and Mister in the world of Stake Land. Filming this world in Saskatchewan, offered a multitude of breathtaking vast landscapes along with tremendous resources provided through Creative Saskatchewan and the providences' local union crew who were affable, professional, and incredibly hard working. We also found a number of strong local performers, who we are proud to have cast into The Stakelander."

Album Review: Cycle of Life by Ghost Community

Some of the best albums take you on a journey; not necessarily based around a concept but take you on a journey of self-discovery. This is one such album. If you're into Prog Rock, cock rock, or Justin Bieber, (maybe not the latter, but "hey!" it's not for me to judge what you listen to) there's something here for you.
Forgive me if you're expecting an album review full of platitudes about time signatures, chord changes and vocal dexterity - that's not going to happen here, after all, I'm not a music reviewer. This is about how the album makes me feel, and the content.

I'd drafted something in my head, a week or so back. I didn't get around to writing it until now and I wonder if "fate" intervened; because the last few days have been horrible. Nothing nasty has happened to me, but it feels like it has. I feel like I've lost someone close to me. A dark cloud has cast it's shadow over the land, perhaps the world. It's always been there in the form of famine, war, injustice and so on. I haven't dodged the bullets of loss over my life, just earlier this year losing what I class as a close friend. But these last few days have focused my attention on our journey more than ever, and then I found I hadn't written my thoughts on this album. (If you're sticking with this, I do get to a point).

Cycle of Life was written through a maelstrom of adversity, you can hear it but not necessarily feel it because this is an album of hope; and if we ever needed an album of hope, it's right now. In the West, we're on the brink of a meltdown and people need to come together and fight it. I don't mean with violence and I certainly don't mean through religion, which is partly to blame for the mess that we're in, but by recognising that we as a whole have the ability to change the world.

Cycle of Life is about community, hence the name of the band; Ghost Community. From the website:

Every single day, we see, communicate with and experience many “ghosts”, all of whom make up our very small world. As we go about our business in our daily lives, we cross paths with individuals who exist merely as voices at the end of a digital connection. We travel the country and the globe passing though borders, and making eye contact with their gatekeepers – and yet these moments are fleeting and all too soon forgotten.

We take up our positions on a stage and perform for a sea of smiling faces, faces that belong to people who travel far and wide, passionately supporting our every move, and yet we never really get to know them. With the advent of the Internet and the ever increasing prominence of social media channels, we impart information to and share details with hundreds if not thousands of strangers every day, feeling connected to them despite never having met in the “real” world.

This planet that we frequent – and which has become our collective home – is affected by many incredibly powerful, invisible factors that work together continuously to keep us alive. Those subtle, often hidden mechanisms determine how we live our lives and bring us all together. In a fast moving world we sometimes forget the one thing that truly holds everything together: people. These people are the “ghosts” that make up our community.

Without each other, what do we have?

This is the Ghost Community. This is our community. This is your community.

In it, we all stand together.

If you ever saw Donnie Darko and remember the strange tentacle like connections that went from person to person, that's a little like how I see it. We need to work together. It's simple but hugely difficult to put into reality. Anyway, the album:

Track 1 - Rise Up
I first heard/saw this on You Tube and it blew me away, because even before the recent funk, it resonated. Musically, it's the sort of Rock that I love, not simple but melodic, energetic and rich lyrically. It opens the album with a mission statement; This is who we are, and what we are about. Simon Rogers guitar really shines through at about the 3 minute 57 mark, and reminds me of Steven Wilson's guitar work in Porcupine Tree. There are traces of Matt Cohen's musical DNA throughout. If you're familiar with his previous work in other bands, you won't be disappointed. That's not to say that the rest of the band are just automatons, churning out dictated music; far from it. Each player has his own identity and that is clear in this song, as an introduction of sorts to them all.

Track 2 - Mirror Lakes
Beginning with a strong acoustic guitar sound, this song reminds me a little of the band I.Q. John Paul's vocals are reminiscent of the best Prog Rock vocalists and never disappoints. Roger's guitar riff  reminds me a bit of Iron Maiden; never a bad thing.
The lyric "You say you wanted to find me, I wasn't hiding." reminds me of the times people say that they meant to contact me but haven't and then make themselves feel better by saying that I was difficult to get hold of.

A quieter track but peppered with melodic instrumental breaks. Simon Roger's guitar solo elevates the track at 4 minutes 06.

The track ends with a more angry set of lyrics "Who do you think you are?" Who indeed.


It must have been tempting to put this on the album as Track Number 1. I'm glad they didn't, it would have came across as a bit cheesy and wouldn't have made the album feel like that journey that I alluded to earlier on in this piece.

"Welcome to the Ghost Community. This is where all the pieces come together"

"We're all in this together"....


Track 3 - Anything & Everything

This track harks back to Matt Cohen's past projects with a familiar sound to it "Time could be behind you...". This is a track that I believe will stand out more in the live medium, at gigs. It twists and turns and will sound great! Nothing against the studio version, I just can't wait to hear it live. Jake's drumming is strong throughout the album but I think it stands out more for me in this track. He's always been very good and this album is no exception. Marillion fans might nod at some echoes of familiarity at 6 minutes, 46.


Track 4 - Blue December Morning

A song that resonates with any of us who are thinking about our mortality past 40 years old: The things we go through, the experiences we go through, as we journey though time. (Although I would have been able to relate to this at age 18, too). "How Can I be on my own..." - That feeling of being alone yet there are hundreds of people on my Facebook friends list. It's strange isn't it?

A quieter track but peppered with melodic instrumental breaks. Simon Roger's guitar solo elevates the track at 4 minutes 06.

The track ends with a more angry set of lyrics "Who do you think you are?" Who indeed.


Track 5 - Ghost Community

Unusually, not the title track but the name of the band. After all, this is what the band is about, what they stand for and what their mission statement is.

It begins like a Dead Can Dance track (never a bad thing) - an organ sound with initially acapella vocals. What strikes me about the album and it's shown in this track, particularly, is that the band share almost equal time. It's difficult for me to pick out significant contributions, which adds to the mission statement. Obviously, there are instrumental breaks as I've mentioned but GC is a track where, for the most part, the band are in powerful unison.

Having said that, Moray's keyboards play a larger part in emphasis in this track. I applaud the choices of keyboard sound on this album that never get in the way of the track as they do on some Prog albums, or used too little in others.

It must have been tempting to put this on the album as Track Number 1. I'm glad they didn't, it would have came across as a bit cheesy and wouldn't have made the album feel like that journey that I alluded to earlier on in this piece.

"Welcome to the Ghost Community. This is where all the pieces come together"

"We're all in this together"....


Track 6 - Cycle of Life

And so to the title track of the album; a 15 minute, 46 second epic.

Beginning with a nice synth and heartbeat, it goes into a quote about the Cycle of Life before developing into the song proper. Matt's bass has a strong presence in this track early on and kind of reminds me of Maiden without being Maiden, if that makes sense. Once again, Moray's keyboards are exciting, melodic and push the track forwards.

"It takes a second to change a life"

15 minutes and 46 seconds of this track fly by.


Despite my thoughts on the album this is not the musical equivalent of a Tolle style self-help book nor is it preachy and overbearing. It's a solid Rock album that I genuinely believe will haunt the top spots in many Rock fans Top 5 lists for 2016. It's exciting, melodic and inspiring.


Ghost Community doesn't need busting with this storming debut!


10/10


Look for live dates sometime in the future.


http://ghostcommunity.co.uk/gigs/