My Soul to Take [Blu-ray] [2010] [US Import]

I definitely suggest reading a few reviews before viewing this one. As with all trailers nowadays, they can be very misleading. My Soul To Take, a poor excuse of a film from someone whom I thought was a talented director, is no different when it comes to its trailer. I missed this in theaters and I actually wanted to see it. So I was semi-excited to view it for first time. Well that enjoyment lasted for about 25 minutes. Opening scene was great IMO, but the movie went downhill from there, attempted to get confusing, became cheesy with CGI killings and one liners, as well as being predictable. I won't add any spoilers so you can see for yourself, I dont like ruining anyone's viewing as I don't like mine ruined. This movie seemed rushed, and should not have been. There was definite potential here, just poorly executed. I'm not big into cheesy horror, and this was one of em. I enjoy all the screams, the original nightmare, original hills have eyes, even original last house on the left, but this one seemed like an outlier, being something completely different from Craven. Sometimes different can be good, with this movie, different was not best choice.

If you really want to watch it, just rent it so you don't dish out 20 or 25 bucks. It's not something you'll want to watch over and over like Craven's others. I hope that I've been helpful..

-Cam

I had wanted to see this movie ever since the trailer came about, as I am a big fan of craven's movies. But with doing research, I was leery of buying this due to the amount of negative reviews. Well let me just say, you cannot judge a book by its cover. I was surprised to find that this craven slasher was a breath of fresh air to the genre. Of course its not as good as scream, but then again its hard to top a movie that redefined the franchise. The whole storyline of soul possession was brilliant, and something different for a change. Never once did I find this movie confusing, or boring for that fact. If you have followed the "SAW" movies for the past years, then you'll have no problem piecing this one together. Not that those two movies are anything alike, but some of the saw's were confusing at times. Anyhow, there is blood throughout the film, nothing extreme, but enough to satisfy you gore lovers, like myself. There are some jump scares here and there, especially if you have surround sound. The film itself has the weirdest premise I have ever seen before, guess that's really what drew me to it. That and the creepy settings, were very atmospherical. The bridge in the first fifteen minutes or so was a standout piece, and very ominous. The design of the ripper himself is one of the creepiest looking villains since jeepers creepers, I think. One of my favorite, and most laughable scenes in the film is where "Bug" (Max Thieriot) has a class presentation and chooses the California condor as the subject. Wes definitely added his touch of humor to that scene, and what about that bird costume? Very cool, if I do say so myself. All in all people who have an open mind, and will appreciate this film for what it is for will enjoy it. This is definitely not the worst horror film of 2010, SAW: The Final Chapter takes that title. Wtf were they thinking? Pink blood, seriously? Good concept, but the realism of the movie was laughable due to this effects guys...holly wood is getting lazy. :p (MY SOUL TO TAKE) **** OUT OF FIVE STARS.

Few horror directors would have the nerve to experiment with the conventions of a teen slasher film, to go beyond the reliable hallmarks of knife-wielding maniacs, bloody corpses, and paper-thin revenge plots. Perhaps that's exactly why Wes Craven wanted to write and direct "My Soul to Take," which is unlike any slasher I've ever seen. In terms of atmosphere, it exists in a gray zone between dreariness and absurdity. In terms of structure, it's a bizarre, meandering dreamscape of grisly murders, horrific visions, and dread secrets. In terms of theme, it could be anything from teenage social circles to heredity to reincarnation to insanity to the California condor, an eater of the dead revered for its ability to clear away the old and usher in the new. I can't pretend that I understood this movie, but at the very least, I never once found it boring.

Set in the fictional town of Riverton, Massachusetts, "My Soul to Take" is the story of seven teenagers, who were all born the night a serial killer known as the Riverton Ripper supposedly died. It's now sixteen years later, and members of the community are once again disappearing, just as local legend foretold. Did the Ripper survive his car accident, or does his soul now reside within one of the seven kids? In either case, who has the power to stop him? Is there any way that he can be stopped?

Craven develops his characters to the point of oddness, and yet there's something irresistibly fascinating about them. The main character, Adam Hellerman, a.k.a. Bug (Max Thieroit), freely shifts back and forth between timidity and instability, apparently as the result of his lifelong battle with mental disorders and migraine headaches. At times, he's plagued by dark premonitions and/or revelations. At other times, he can alter his voice and repeat verbatim brief passages of dialogue spoken by his peers, almost as if they were temporarily in possession of his body. Or perhaps he's temporarily in possession of them - the details are more than a little sketchy. I distinctly remember an early scene in which Bug stands in front of his best friend and mimics every single movement he makes, like a reflection in a mirror.

His best friend, named Alex (John Magaro), has strange ideas about acting like a man, most likely as a result of being raised by an abusive stepfather. Whenever he gets hit, he'll calmly say, "Thank you. That felt good." He'll then beef up his statements with a swear word or two. He and Bug collaborate on a class presentation on the California condor; as Bug snaps into a trance and rambles in a voice not quite like his own, Alex parades around in an elaborate bird costume equipped with two fluid-filled bottles, one green like vomit, the other brown like feces. This incurs the wrath of the school bully, Brandon (Nick Lashaway), known for chauvinism and other indiscretions. He wants to have sex with Brittany (Paulina Olszynski), who's involved with Bug's sister, nicknamed Fang (Emily Meade), who knows something about Bug's past and hates him for his innocence and for ruining her life. He isn't sure how innocent he actually is.

Is this making any sense at all? It seems that the more I try to describe Craven's twisted logic, the less I understand. What message is he trying to send? That new generations are deeply affected by old generations? That not having a father in your life prevents you from understanding what it is to be a man? "My Soul to Take" is a cerebral horror film, the kind that continuously hints at meaning but never gets around to providing us with any. Or maybe it's provided in such a way that an audience wouldn't recognize it. In spite of this, I found the experience oddly absorbing. It may in part have to do with Craven's dialogue, a strange mesh of potty-mouthed teenage talk and deep metaphor, especially in relation to the condor. It may also have to do with the blurring of reality and fantasy; let's just say that Bug's mental state leaves the reliability of the plot in question.

I liken the experience of watching this film to watching Richard Kelly's "The Box," a nonsensical and preposterous but somehow engaging psychological thriller that integrated science fiction with a number of impenetrable themes. "My Soul to Take" toys with the audience and toys with it well, but there will always be a part of me that wished I could have figured out was Craven was trying to say. I suspect the vast majority of horror fans will not respond to this movie, given the confusing nature of the plot, the strangeness of the characters, and its unconventional approach to the genre. That's certainly understandable. But for those who have long since grown tired of the average teen slasher film - and I definitely count myself as one of them - this movie may be a welcome change of pace, a chance to see what happens when the genre is turned on its head.