My Soul to Take (43%)

Director: Wes Craven     Cast:Max Thieriot, John Magaro      Genre: Horror

Runtime: 108 minutes     Release Date: October 8, 2010     Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Of all the horror films that Wes Craven has made, the ones that were most successful (in my opinion and not including A Nightmare on Elm Street and New Nightmare) were the ones he didn't write. Films like Deadly Blessing (he had a hand in writing it but it wasn't solely written by him), The Serpent and the Rainbow and of course Scream 1 and 2.

So in 2010, 16 years after his last effort as writer and director, Wes Craven returned to that double duty with My Soul to Keep and like many of his films, and many of the horror films to be released post 2000, it is not very good. Now I'm not one to scoff at horror movies too much, generally liking most of them, even the ones that are poorly received but this one I am afraid just didn't do it for me.

My Soul to Take ranks up there with the worst of Craven's films. Surprisingly so as Craven has proven himself quiet adept at the slasher film (minus Shocker), more so than anything else. It is not only a bad Craven film but a bad film in general and shows no signs of creativity or originality in the script, the direction or any other aspect you might care to mention.

In the small town of Riverton, a man suddenly discovers that he is the murderer the authorities have been looking for. He can't believe it but before he can help himself and be treated properly he kills his wife and heads to his daughters room to make quick work of her. The police save her just in the nick of time. Cut to 16 years later where the seven children born on that fateful day are doing an anual ritual where they protect themselves from the spirit of the deceased/lost murderer. When the ritual is stopped half way through by the police the seven children start getting knocked off one by one.

The Good:

The music is decent and has a nice sound to it, the sets and locations look pretty good and the effects don't look to bad either. The cinematography is sharp and is probably the best thing about this film. That's about it. I can't think of anything else that was any good in this film (well, the first five minutes were pretty good too) but otherwise there is not much else to say here.

The Bad:

My Soul to Take runs on way to long. Even though a lot seems to be happening in the film, with not much wasted in shots or scenes, it stills ends up feeling overly long and even boring. That then is the only bad thing about the film, everything else falls into the ugly.

The Ugly:

So much to say here. Too much to say here. Let's begin with the beginning. The killer is shot in the chest and the head numerous times yet he doesn't die. He isn't supernatural, he's just a man but apparently he can't die. Cut to the end of the film and the killer (who can it be?) is killed by being stabbed in the kidney area. That's consistant eh?

The acting by most of the principles is pretty weak although Max Thieriot (named Bug here for no reason at all) is decent, as is his buddy Alex, played by John Magaro. The killer that is wiping out the children looks ridiculous and makes me want to laugh more than scream. Scratch the first five minutes out of the film and there isn't a scare to be had.

Then there is the fact that there is not an ounce of originality in this film. It's like A Nightmare on Elm Street lite, mixed with the look of Scream (and the end killer soliloquy). Bug has nightmares that are straight out of Nightmare, in fact the whole story is like a simpler and stupider version of that film. There are no surprises, the ending is predictable (although Bug should of been the killer, it would of made more sense) and there is nary a moment of suspense to be had. 

The very idea of the children having the annual festival to keep the killer at bay makes no sense and as I watched it I felt embarrassed for Wes Craven for writing such trite and for myself for actually sitting through it. The characters are generic and not a single one acts like a real person would. There are moments that happen and in the next scene moments that contradict the last scene. This is a trend that happens throughout the entire movie.

There is so much more I want to say but can't seem to find the words and the energy to spell it out. So with that said I would say that the next sentence will speak volumes towards this film: My Soul to Take is one of the worst and most boring  slasher films I have ever seen.

The Verdict:

This movie is a complete waste of time and I cannot recommend it to anybody. If you pop it in to your DVD or Blu-Ray player or you come across it on television trust me when I say turn it off after they save the little girl (which is right at the beginning). After that it becomes unoriginal, boring and stupid and it just keeps getting worse and worse. It rips off Craven's best work and that's one of the better things about this picture. This film is a waste of talent, a waste of celluloid and a waste of time. Stay as far away as you can from it.

Recommendation: A Nightmare on Elm Street 

           Re-playability: 2 out of 10     Directing: 5 out of 10     Originality: 0 out of 10                 

Costumes and Make-up: 4 out of 10     Acting: 6 out of 10     Editing: 5 out of 10

Cinematography: 7 out of 10     Music: 7 out of 10     Script: 1 out of 10

         Production Design (Sets/Locations/Special Effects): 7 out of 10                  

Total Score = 43%