Der Seelenfänger

The movie itself is quite good if you love similar movies. For instance, Long Legs.

First, the script here is good, not the most original but storyline is quite acceptable without big plot holes. Entertaining.

Second, acting here is superb. I think the main actor does a great and real acting masterclass.

Third, settings are perfect for a suspense-horror story. I love the rainy greenery that is shown here.

Fourth, music and camera work again are extremely good. Love the mysterious vibe during the whole thing. To add, gore doesn't look cheap and they didn't use cheap CGI. Good for them.

Anyway, if you're looking for an interesting horror-suspense- a bit gory movie, this one is for you.

"Franck" (Paul Hamy) is hitching his way to a small French village when he is picked up by "Elisabeth" (Virginie Ledoyen). It turns out that she is a police officer send to lead an investigation of double murder and that he is a captain in the national gendarmerie on a continuing mission to track down missing children - a trail that led him to this ostensibly sleepy hamlet. Reminiscent a little of "Doctor Sleep" (2019), the place is overlooked by a sanatorium and quickly the two, initially suspicious of each other, start to realise that their mysterious cases might well be linked. What doesn't really help is a local folklore about the eponymous monster who feeds off the souls of the deceased townsfolk - and as the film gathers pace it seems to be heading for quite a brutal and bloody feast. There might be one really important clue. "Evan" (Cameron Bain) who is the survivor of the apparent self-killings of his parents. What did he see? What does he know? Anything? His psychiatrist "Marbas" (Sandrine Bonnaire) is determined that her charge be left to recuperate, but "Franck" knows he is the link... At times, this is a tensely directed murder mystery but as the plot develops it also rather thins out and neither of the lead characters really offer us much by way of chemistry as serendipity plays just a bit too much of an hand in a denouement that does have quite a fitting twist, but also has something too much of the "Scooby Do" about it. It does just about work in a cinema, the wooded landscapes and the eeriness help it out quite a lot, but on television it will be pretty ordinary.

OK there're clichés (the two cops who first do not get on well, but eventually team up when they realize that their affairs are tied ) and enough plot holes to fill the Albert Hall ....

But the excellent cast (Virgine Le Doyen , true to herself ,Paul Hamy, even Sandrine Bonnaire in a supporting part) the splendid (but sometimes maleficent ) landscapes and a threatening atmosphere make up for it ; this self-destructing attitude may remind you of an old American movie ("Impulse " 1984; the reason why they are agressive is more or less the same)

The story of the bogeyman is not new , used in so many films you can't count them all ("Hallowe'en "for instance );and one can wonder why on the rooms in the disused sanitarium the names are written in English (?) ;besides ,the part of Malik Zidi (who was an excellent Jacques Thibault in the "les Thibault " miniseries )should have been more developed ;his final intervention comes at the most awkward moment .

That said ,in spite of too many unlikelihoods , it's a gripping thriller, with enough unexpected twists to satisfy the audience and the final picture is a good idea ,keeping some of the mystery intact.

I do prefer a long-haired Le Doyen!

Le Manguer D'ames (The Soul Eater) is probably one of the interesting movies of this year. The story takes place in a spooky little town which is located around a region where, strangely, small children are disappearing. Franck (Paul Hamy) and Elisabeth (Virginie Ledoyen) arrive at this little town where gruesome murders take place. The story is really cool, and it reminds me of the atmosphere of Les Rivieres Pourpes (Crimson Rivers). At the same time, the local folklore and legends remind Der Pass (Pagan Peak). There is a surprising ending, and it is not easy to guess it. I advise everyone to watch this movie. I wish they made a TV series based on this movie. I would definitely watch it. I give 8 over 10.

Rarely before in the history of horror cinema, one director (or a directors duo in this case) made such an impressive debut than Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury with "À L'intérieur" (aka "Inside"). That film is - hands down - one of the most forceful, shocking, astounding, and nightmarish horror flicks ever made. It is also why I have been and will continue following these directors in whatever they do, even though thus far they were never able to repeat the brilliance of their debut. "Aux Yeux des Vivants" (aka "Among the Living") is another authentically raw and disturbing effort, and their Hollywood ventures "Leatherface" and "The Deep House" are more than adequate, but the true genius of "À L'intérieur" has yet to be equaled.

"Le Mangeur d'Âmes" (aka "The Soul Eater") certainly isn't a masterpiece, neither, but nevertheless another professionally made, compelling, suspenseful, and frequently unsettling thriller worth seeking out. The main difference between this movie and Bustillo & Maury's previous films (except "Leatherface") is that they are not working from a screenplay they wrote themselves, but from a novel adaptation. It's also more of a murder mystery and thriller instead of a genuine shock-horror film, but rest assured there still a handful of nauseating moments to enjoy.

When the gruesome death of a married couple in a remote little French mountain town seems somehow connected to a series of unsolved children's disappearance cases, two different police superiors are sent in to investigate. The embittered Elizabeth Guardiano must try and understand the couple's bizarre death, while gendarme Franck de Roland is obsessively searching for answers regarding the missing children. In the creepy town, where nobody really wants to cooperate and where more strange things have happened lately, there exists an old folklore tale about a horned creature that feeds on children's souls. But, surely, two mature police officers can't believe local legends, right?

"The Soul Eater" is not highly original, but the story contains a couple of unforeseen twists (one of which funnily reminded me of the recent "Cocaine Bear") and there are many vile supportive characters to keep the suspense at a high level. Bustillo & Maury once again prove themselves masters in using the ominous French landscapes and old buildings to keep you fascinated, and the excellent cast (particularly the amazing Virginie Ledoyen) give away dedicated performances. I can understand why some people refer to "The Soul Eater" as a standard and forgettable type of thriller, but I think there are plenty of reasons to enjoy it.