Movie Review: My Soul to Take

Title: My Soul to Take
Rated: R
Genres: Horror, Suspense
Director & Writer: Wes Craven
Stars: Max Thierot, John Magaro, Denzel Whitaker
Rating: 3.5 Stars

The Riverton Ripper’s murder spree came to an end 16 years ago. He didn’t go without a fight. No, the Ripper is the type of villain who doesn’t stay down, no matter how many wounds he’s taken, and then makes an oath to kill the people left alive. Well, surprise surprise, after an impressive attempt by police officers and paramedics, the Ripper’s body vanishes.

Each year the teens who were born the day the Ripper died perform a little ritual to keep the murderer from fulfilling his murderous vow. But during the sixteenth year, they’re prevented from completing it and the murders begin anew, starting with them.

My Soul to Take has a lot of the classic horror tropes including the villain that just won’t die, a ritual, teen protagonist, a curse, and questionable sanity, as well as many of the ‘high school’ tropes. I loved this. While I enjoy many modern horror films, I find more often than not that they shy away from the psychological horror and jump straight to the gore.

The best part of the film for me was the main character, Bug (Max Thierot). He’s very timid, shy, and innocent, but with an underlying darkness. He’ll fall into moments where he acts very strangely and doesn’t even know he’s creeping out the other characters. He actually grows throughout the film too. He sheds those innocent and shy tendencies as the film progresses.

Even though I had fun watching My Soul to Take, it did have its flaws, mostly in the form of ‘could-have-beens.’ Craven sets up an interesting connection with the teens and the Ripper, but he doesn’t go very far with it. The Ripper seemed to have been collecting the souls of his victims and housing them in his body. The teens seemed to reflect some of those soul’s characteristics. It doesn’t go much further than that set up, nor do we really get an explanation of why. There could have definitely been some amazing plot if it was explored further.

Generally, it watches as a fairly mediocre horror flick, especially if you compare it to most of Craven’s other films. Despite that, and the less-than-stellar critic response, I enjoyed it and can see myself watching it again when I need a fix of teen horror.

FIND MY SOUL TO TAKE ONLINE:
Website | IMDB

Movie Review: Hick

Title:  Hick
Rated:  R
Director:  Derick Martini
Writer:  Andrea Portes
Stars:  Chlöe Grace Moretz, Blake Lively, Eddie Readmayne
Rating: 4 Stars

Synopsis:  Tired of life with her drunken parents, 13-year old Luli (Chlöe Grace Moretz) starts a hitchhiking adventure from small town Nebraska to Las Vegas. Along her way she meets Eddie (Eddie Readmayne), a former rodeo cowboy with dangerous charm, and Glenda (Blake Lively), a coke snorting grifter with lots of advice. But the road to Vegas isn’t as glamorous as her TV led her to think. Luli finds herself in one bad situation after another on the road in this coming-of-age story.

My Thoughts:  The driving force of this film is the phenomenal acting. The whole reason I picked this up is because I love Chlöe Grace Moretz on screen. She hasn’t done anything I haven’t liked, that I’ve seen at the time of writing this anyway. Blake Lively, who I’ve been pretty lukewarm up to this point, surprised me with this role and her portrayal. Then there’s Eddie Readmayne. He’s British! Not once during the film did he sound anything other than a Texan (or from some southwestern state). Usually I can pick up on ‘false’ accents, but not this time. Other great appearances include:  Juliette Lewis, Rory Culkin, Alec Baldwin, Anson Mount, and Ray McKinnon.

Chlöe and Blake escaping a bad situation

As for the plot, it’s meanders a bit. I like a story that doesn’t feel forced, so this worked for me. Luli wasn’t completely sure how she was going to get to Las Vegas, and her voyage reflected that. It’s also a story that doesn’t have a clear moral or message. Portes and Martini let the viewer take what they get out of the story. I really like this format, but I know it’s not for everybody.

While I really liked the film, there were a couple of holes. First, Luli has a loaded gun with her. Yet she never brandishes it, even though there are plenty situations that would warrant it. Second, she has a wad of cash. After the first or second rough situation, why wouldn’t Luli just buy a bus ticket? This is a character who had enough forethought to create a pros and cons list of going to Las Vegas, where the cons column had “might die.” She knew the possibility, and I’m not sure if her need for love would overtake her survival instinct honed by years of self-raising.

But if she dies in Las Vegas, maybe she'll end up on CSI? Insta-fame!

Overall, I highly enjoyed watching this film. I can easily see myself re-watching in the future. This is a film not quite like anything else I’ve ever seen. If you like indie films or what you’ve read here, I recommend checking it out. If you’re unsure, Redbox has it! And don't forget to check out the novel it's based on, also titled Hick and written by Andrea Portes

Have you seen Hick? What were your thoughts? Do you share my love of Chlöe Grace Moretz films? Tell me in the comments below!