Review of My Soul to Take (2010) by Pedro R — 06 May 2011

Wes Craven is probably the most renowned director/maker of horror movies. He directed the acclaimed (well, the first two) Scream films, he directed A Nightmare on Elm Street, and was also part of both The Hills Have Eyes series. In Scream, he pretty much destroys every bad slasher film ever made. But, now he's made a new one. So, after a five year film making break, has Craven still got the goods to create a decent slasher film?

My Soul To Take is about a group of seven people, all of whom were born on the night that the mysterious Riverton Ripper died. He was a serial killer, who had a bad case of Schizophrenia. But, 16 years after his death, rumour has it that his soul will go into one of the seven to kill all the others. It focuses on two main characters; Bug (Max Thieriot) and his best friend Alex (John Magaro); both of whom aren't particularly popular in school. So, with the Riverton Ripper back, and killing again, can they both survive?

My Soul To Take was kind of strange. It was a slasher film, but it didn't feel like one. It had more depth. Although, it was hardly perfect. In fact, it was full to the top of flaws, mistakes and clichés. So, where to start?

First off, it was entirely predictable. Within minutes of the film opening it was obvious who would be first to die. And it's easy to tell when a character will die. The suspense wasn't very well built, every time a character was alone or in a forest (Really, Craven? Really?) it just didn't feel intense. It just got boring due to the overly extended scenes beforehand. That meant that by the time the kills actually took place, I was already bored of the character, so I couldn't care less if they died.

Also, the acting wasn't anything special. Thieriot as Bug was OK, but he was never entirely convincing, he looked like he was holding back a bit. However, Emily Meade portrayed Bug's sister; Fang (these ARE nicknames, by the way....), and she came across very well. Strict, bossy and violent, but there's a lot more to her than meets the eye. She brought some emotion to the film. The scenes where she was shouting at Bug and the twist was revealed, she gave one of the best performances I've seen in a horror movie for a long time.

Another negative I have to list is the plot/story. It just didn't go anywhere. The one big twist was announced in the last half an hour and that was the only turn the film took. Other than that, it started to get stale. Although, to be fair, the twist was extremely satisfying. It was predictable and obvious, but it contained elements that were unexpected.

So, after all this, why is there a 60% rating at the top, you ask? That's because My Soul To Take was a solid B-Movie. It contained all the necessary flaws, missing elements and clichés, but it remained fun throughout. And THAT is hard to pull off now. Also, it was pretty scary at points. The standard "person in the mirror" was shown a couple of times, still effectively though. And the final formulaic chase around the house was pretty intense. What Craven, the master of slasher and horror, has done here, is make a silly little movie, that's entirely forgettable, but great fun whilst it lasts.

To Summarise: It's predictable, it's clichéd and it's formulaic, but "My Soul To Take" is exactly what a slasher film should be; solid fun.