Cold in July
Dir: Jim Mickle
2014
*****
Jim Mickle has captured the essence of Joe R. Lansdale writing perfectly. Cold in July is a beautifully stylish middle American noir thriller that is anything but predictable. It's like three stories in one but without feeling convoluted or muddled in any way. The twists in the plot are refreshing rather than gimmicky and only helps build on the film's initial intrigue. The intensity is almost unbearable, the film demands the viewers attention from the very beginning but never against one's will. Michael C. Hall, Sam Shepard and Don Johnson make for an unlikely but quite wonderful trinity of anti-heroes. The performances are frighteningly real, which adds an authenticity to the turn of events which, along with one of the best soundtracks of all time, builds upon the film's suspense to the highest level. I felt exhausted but exhilarated by the end and I can't remember the last time I felt that way. It's the sleepy thriller I've been waiting for and one of the best films of 2014 in my humble opinion.

Stake Land
Dir: Jim Mickle
2010
****
So many horror films these days stick to their genre specifics. Some change the rules to great effect while others take it too far and stink up the straight to video market. Stake Land does something quite simple and executes it subtly enough to be almost revolutionary in horror circles. The bad guys are vampires who act like zombies and vice versa in many respects. It plays the fear of infection card brilliantly and also works as a post-apocalypse movie too. It works in every aspect and even questions subjects of religion, society and apathy, subtly though of course. The horror isn't in the blood, the death or the dark, it's in the hopelessness. The symbolism of our capitalist and consumer society is unmistakable, who are the zombies and who are the vampires, that's the real horror. Stake Land is an underrated horror (future) classic.