Sole Survivor

If slow paced, intelligent horror films along the lines of Let's Scare Jessica to Death or Carnival of Souls are your speed, you'll find a lot to love in Sole Survivor.

Predating Final Destination by nearly 20 years, Sole Survivor tells the story of Denise, a TV producer, who ends up being the sole survivor of a plane crash. Soon after, she starts seeing people following her and, well,...I don't want to spoil anything else.

Sole Survivor is a perfect example of "less is more." Things are never quite clear or explained, which makes the entire film quite mysterious and creepy. Most of the performances are subdued and natural and a large cloud of doom hangs over the entire film. It's impressively creepy, honestly.

If you're a gore hound or looking for cheap jump scares, Sole Survivor might not be your cup of tea, but those who appreciate a nice slow burn will probably love it.

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.

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.

As with other movies that deal with the blurry line between life and death, "Sole Survivor" often lacks cohesion in plot and logic. But the weight of its atmospheric shocks and well-paced suspense is effective–it's a movie that places its concentration on waking-nightmare horror rather than gore. A woman is the lone survivor of an airplane crash, predicted by a washed-up TV actress with psychic tendencies; complications arise when the recently-dead start popping up in the woman's everyday life. Eerie chiller with strong atmosphere and a moody pace draws favorable comparisons to "Carnival of Souls" and "Dead & Buried." Recommended for adventurous viewers with a taste for the offbeat.

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.