GLKnight SPOTLIGHT: My Soul to Take

    What makes modern horror? Of course, there's the coarse humor, the gore, the cursing, and the numerous, NUMEROUS jump scares. Guaranteed, you can release a film called Cat in the Cupboard, an entire movie of NOTHING but jump scares, and you will have a hit on your hands. But did you notice that horror is not readily placed on the fact that someone can identify with the characters anymore? Unfortunately, the concept of PERSONAL horror has become passe. Instead, the immediate sensation, the thrill-seeker's inherent addiction to visceral experience itself, has become the thrill they seek for nowadays.

    Now, what does this have to do with Wes Craven? Well, we have him to thank for this new era of re-creatable horror, specifically with the success of the SCREAM franchise. No longer can we have the dichotomy of horror/humor, but instead the notion that EVERY horror film has to be self-aware and self-referential. And unfortunately, the trend is continued with the release of MY SOUL TO TAKE. Is it original? No. Is it revolutionary? NO. Is it a Classic in the making? HELL. NO.

    Should you see it anyway? Um, somewhat...

    16 years ago, the man known as the Riverton Ripper was stopped after killing his pregnant wife, and attempting to kill his unborn child, his death marked by the burned out Ambulance shell, that was taking him to the ER, by the river. At the time of his death, 7 children were born into the world. The Riverton Seven (seven children born to different households) celebrate their birth and the death of the Ripper at the Ambulance shell every year, with this year's slayer of the Ripper being Bug, a somewhat frail and possibly mentally disturbed. The parents do not wish to remember the Ripper, but the children feel they must, specifically the Seven. But this year, their memorial will not be just for the Ripper. For it seems the Ripper has come back, and is now hunting the Seven down.

    The thing that makes this film work is this: there is nothing that DOES. This film, in all honesty, is a mess of a film. The trailer made people think it's Wes Craven's answer to the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street. This film is more akin to Hostel in it's attempt to hide what it really is, and is about on par with Eli Roth's entry into horror catalogs. It's a very shallow film that is INCREDIBLY poorly paced. The individual moments of horror you can blink your eyes and miss entirely, but you can't because the individual musical stings (the swelling of music to punctuate the moment of tension) are SO GODDAMN LOUD, YOU'LL FLINCH IN PAIN RATHER THAN TERROR. The cinematography alone is lazy, which is a damn shame, because Wes Craven (the master of surreal settings) is really far above the level he shows in this film's direction.

    The characters in this film are sub-par, partly because of writing, partly because of the individual actors themselves. There are some good actors in the mix, like Emily Meade (pictured here) as Bug's sister, Leah/Fang. She makes the best with a very one-dimensional character, but not even that will save the movie. In fact, the best performances are few and far between, with the individual actors varying wildly between scenes. Well, when not being killed off quickly and without fanfare.

    Take Brandon for example. Brandon is one of the Seven, and his entire character ranges from Big Man on Campus Bully to Lecherous, Murderous Rapist in Training in the space of 15 minutes. Or Penelope (pictured here, played by Zena Grey). Another "making the best of it", Penelope is a somewhat memorable role, the Jesus Freak with the Cassandra Complex. At least she isn't the cool Blind Kid (Jerome) or the creative Asian Kid (Jay) who're only there to serve as fodder for the body count. There are really no plot threads to follow, instead focusing on the Usual Suspects game, and could have done away with any and all supernatural elements and still been entirely the same film.

    Now, to the biggest problems of the entire movie: the effects and music. Effects wise, the single best moments are where practical effects take over. Blood effects, and a hilariously inspired scene of revenge on Brandon by Bug and Alex are the real highlights of the film itself (outside of some of the dialogue). However, this film could have done away with the 3D elements entirely, with only three or four moments (including the CREDITS) using the 3D technology. And like the effects, if they toned down the musical stings (and tried to make it fucking memorable AT ALL), then I would have forgiven the stings. Instead, we get pop rock tracks that throw you out of the film entirely, a Steve Jablonsky knockoff OST, and basically entire moments of audio dead air that just serves to piss the audience off.

    This film is NOT WORTHY of being in a horror movie fans library, except for a couple reasons:

1) You are a horror movie Completist, and wish to have the most recent films released by luminary directors.

2) You are a die-hard Horror Movie Freak who wishes to know everything a genre has to offer.

Or 3) You wish to have a good movie to watch with friends, and play a drinking game on a slow night. This film is NOT WORTH going to theaters for at all. Instead, wait for it to come up as a rental. You'll save more money, and have more fun than going to a theater and wasting $15 for just the ticket and 3D glasses.

    Do yourself a favor. Just wait for the dvd. Then get hammered. It's more fun than waiting for Scream 4 to come out in theaters.