L'unique survivante

Some friends of mine had been raving about this one and it had just been released on Blu-Ray, so I figured I'd give it a try and I'm really glad that I did. Sole Survivor packs a wallop.

The story centers around Denise, the sole survivor of a freak plane crash, who starts seeing strange, dead-eyed people stalking her every move. In many ways, one could say this is a zombie movie, but that'd be too simple. Yes, these "zombies" are corpses being used by "death" to settle the score and kill Denise once and for all since someone made a mistake and left her alive.

There are elements of Carnival of Souls, Final Destination, and the recent It Follows, but Sole Survivor is very much its own beast and it's all the better for it. Some might not like the very dreary, downbeat storytelling Sole Survivor dabbles in, but there's so much suspense, atmosphere, and scares that I have a hard time believing that any serious horror fan couldn't find something to like in this movie.

It must also be mentioned that leading actress, Anita Skinner, is a dead ringer for Chloe Sevingy.

"Sole Survivor" is a horror movie which opens with a palpable sense of dread and some effective moments but squanders them all in a final act which reveals it has no idea what to do with the points it's earnt.

The plot is about a plain looking woman who is the titular "sole survivor" of an airplane crash. She appears to suffer hallucinations of those who died in the crash following her around.

But are they hallucinations or are they... REAL?! You probably won't care. I know I didn't.

The spectres of the deceased, who look like extras wandered over from whatever zombie movie George Romero was shooting that year, are at first spooky but soon become boring since they mostly just stand there. The movie doesn't really develop the idea it starts with, until a rushed conclusion at the end which is entirely unsatisfying.

Lone survivor (Anita Skinner) of a plane crash finds herself feeling depressed and unworthy of living. Then she begins to notice dead people lurking about. At first they just stalk her, but soon they are trying to kill her since she was not supposed to survive the crash. Creepy, cold, original thriller is a bit too slow, but still entertaining.

Rated R; Sexual Situations, Nudity, and Graphic Violence.

This film was very nicely done despite it's budget. The director thoroughly developed each scene so that you knew exactly what was going on.

I use to watch this film along side of the classic "Carnival Of Souls" with Candice Hillagoss. The difference between the two was that in carnival the lead character was half dead, but in this film the dead were hell bent making the lead character very dead.

Cudos to Leon in his prelude role to Madonna's "Like A Prayer" video. You really don't know who he is until he opens his mouth. This is where you hear him sounding like his "5 Heartbeats" character JT.

This is a must see for all true horror fans, and those who still enjoy the late Saturday night "fright night" features.

8 out of 10 hands down.

Premise: Denise survives an airplane crash, escaping completely unharmed. But as she tries to move on with her life, she begins noticing people are watching her, and hears strange voices calling her name. It soon becomes clear that the unseen spectre of death wants to collect Denise by sending its minions to kill her...

'Sole Survivor' is a neat little horror film tucked away in the mid-80s that's slipped under the radar. It's slow and creepy, benefiting from Carpenter-esque direction in the way the protagonist is framed in long shots, centred in wide open spaces to augment the isolation and menace, much like the victims in Halloween. This is further evidenced by the cold stares Denise receives from the "minions", who are just standing there at a distance, watching, waiting... sound eerily familiar?

If I had to be harsh and nitpick, it would be that 'Sole Survivor' peaks with its atmosphere early and doesn't have much ambition to go further. This is fine - there's a moderate intensity sustained throughout as creepy people stand, stare and occasionally pursue the main character. But it also means the film doesn't hit the dread-filled highs that could have made it a classic of the genre. Still, this is well worth a watch, with an ending that's bound to leave a lingering chill.

7/10.