Soul Survivors

Count how many times you hear them repeat Cassie to the character, might be a record. This movie makes no sense! "Hey bro since we're all drunk, stay with my girlfriend in the rain while I go inside and get your girlfriend so you can make out with mine! " this movie adds stupid occurrences to get two characters alone multiple times... Whoever wrote this and directed it were probably on a huge drinking binge since they first though of this movie, and post production... LIKE WHY ARE THE CHARACTERS SUCH GOOD FRIENDS WHEN THEY'RE ALL EXES AND DATING EACH OTHER ? Sloppy.

Four hot college friends drive off for a night of partying at an abandoned church. Cassie (Melissa Sagemiller) and Sean (Casey Affleck) are getting more serious. They and their friends, Matt (Wes Bentley) and Annabel (Eliza Dushku), leave the party. Another car blocks the road causing a deadly crash. Sean is killed. Cassie is haunted by guilt but darker forces are closing in.

These are hot young people. There is a spooky atmosphere. It's hinting at something dark. It is set up for a solid if somewhat derivative horror. It's no sin to be unoriginal. It is however a sin to reveal that the movie's middle means nothing. In the end, there is no point to half of this movie. It's a campfire ghost story that pulls its punch at the last minute. It suggests something sinister with the people in the other car but they end with nothingness. It's disappointing.

A direct ripoff of Carnival of Souls 1998 version, only with a slightly different ending. A college student who is about to move away from her boyfriend decides to go clubbing with their friends, but after leaving the club they are involved in a mysterious car accident that kills her boyfriend. He friends are supposedly moving on, but there behavior has changed. She is being stalked by people at the club, she keeps seeing her dead boyfreind on campus, and she keeps having weird and disturbing visions. Is she going crazy? Or has her boyfreind returned from the dead?

Figuring out the answer to the mystery is very easy, but the film is done with style, has a few well done and exciting chase sequences, and a very appealing cast, especially leading lady Melissa Sagglimer who is a real find in her first feature length performance. However the ending is rushed and the film suffers from a feeling of deja vu, especailly since it has been done before and done better with other films.

I thought this movie was actually pretty good. It was just enough to keep you wondering, but not desperately trying to be scary. I didn't think it was all too scary, but still worth watching. The one thing you must know if you see this movie is it's more of a psychological thriller than a "scary" movie. It'll make it seem better if you know what you are going to see than just guessing that it's a scary movie. Overall I thought it was ok, but kind of confusing. Some of my friends hated it, but only because they didn't understand it. With a strong plot and a talented cast, I say this movie is worth looking at.

Soul survivors, like a few other supernatural movies that have come out recently, leave the viewer wondering what is really happening. This one I think it slightly better done than the others since the ending is less predictable and more fulfilling.

Melissa Sagemiller did quite a good job playing Cassie, the movie's lead. An emotional wreck after a car accident, she is convinced that people are trying to kill her, but for some reason no one else ever sees the assailants or even seems to believe her. Melissa's portrayal is quite convincing, and I feel never goes off the deep end like in too many horror movies.

The supporting cast did a rather decent job. Wes Bentley plays the creepy former boyfriend. And comes across as a creepy former boyfriend. Basically the same as in American Beauty, but with a movie sinister edge. Eliza Dushka, the best friend, does a good job as well, although her work is a little over the top. Luke Wilson is excellent and convincing in his role as a priest.

Overall the movie was quite enjoyable. The tension was rather unrelenting, but actually used to pretty good effect. The biggest flaw is that the ending (the part after the surprise twist) was rather too saccharine but that is only a couple of minutes. Another slight problem is the beginning takes a little too long to develop. The middle of the movie is pretty solid however. It may seem a little disjointed, but it works and makes sense for the movie as a whole.