Soul to Keep

In horror movies, I feel that sometimes, story is lost in exchange for the scare factor. While seemingly low budget this movie is a solid effort. Horrifying is not a word I would use to describe this movie. Even slightly unnerving is too large a praise, but even so, I found myself enjoying this film. It's cliche, we've seen this before, but it's fun!

There were times when the acting seemed sub par, but a couple of scenes that had me lost in emotion. What I want from any movie is to be able to connect with the characters. I found myself continually impressed with some of the actors and really, while the plot was a bit contrived and cliche, there was a connection with a few of the characters. I really see a future for some of the actors in this film.

This film gave me confidence in the young film makers of our world. The acting was very genuine..even though if I had been part of that group the minute reading from an old spell book to conjure demons was suggested I would have made my exit and gone home. Even though they reference Wes Craven and Blair Witch they really should have considered the Evil Dead..which I believe the makers are paying slight homage to. I thought some of the first reviews had to be people connected to the film trying to create a buzz. But I as someone living in Scotland can say it is a damn good low budget horror movie and again I cannot stress how natural and realistic these young actors are..the fact that they can all sign well in relation to the deaf acting is also a bonus. Like any of my reviews this is short. I don't review movies I don't like. Negative criticism is easy in a world of disposable media. I hope all involved in this film go on to do well. Thanks for keeping my mind off my own life and entertaining me for an hour and a half.

This wasn't as horrible as some reviewers make it out to be - but it's a sign of the times (at least with some) that if you disagreee with them, you must be "fake." Well, I'm not "fake" and I disagree with those who thought this was horrible. Oh, don't get me wrong. It's no masterpiece - but I wasn't expecting it to be. It's about a group of young adults who've been friends since childhood who go off to an out of the way property for a weekend away. While there, they end up conjuring up a demon. So - really - set your expectations according to that plot.

I thought it was reasonably suspenseful and on a handful of occasions even rose to the level of frightening. The cast - similar to the movie as a whole - while not being great weren't as bad as some are making them out to be. Yes, there are several plot inconsistencies. Surely the presence of the triangle in the basement (with something apparently still fresh and rotting within it) should have raised questions in their minds about what was going on? That one really did stick with me and where it came from never was really explained. But again - set your expectations accordingly. Don't expect to be blown away by special effects or astonished by a spectacular and airtight story. Just look at it as a piece of low budget entertainment and you can appreciate this.

Now - confession time. I watched this basically because I became a fan of Sandra Mae Frank from watching her on "New Amsterdam" for the last couple of seasons of its run, and this was the only other piece of work of hers that I could find that was easily accessible. She didn't disappoint as Tara. I find her work as a deaf actress fascinating and quite convincing. That probably made me rate this a little higher than I otherwise would have. Still, I found it an enjoyable enough escape for 90 minutes. (6/10)

The movie is not the worst horror film I've ever seen, but it's still pretty bad. The story had potential but is hampered by horrible acting. There isn't much to say about this movie and the only reason I'm bothering to write anything at all is because most of other the reviews for it are fake.

If you click on the name of the user who wrote the 7, 8, 9 and 10 star reviews you will see that almost all of them have been users for less than 6 months, and many have given high ratings to the same 10 or so films.

The opening credits are probably the best thing about this, to be honest. They hint at a story that is more interesting that what is actually delivered. There are some interesting moment scattered throughout and a couple of times it was pretty creepy, but these moments were ruined by inconsistent performances. Speaking of which...

Kate Rose Reynolds, whose character is introduced as being a "dark Wiccan" *CRINGE*, is actually a decent actress. She plays a creepy part pretty well, and I would watch another movie with her in it just to see how she does.

Aurora Heimbach and Sandra Mae Frank play twins, and both are bland enough to be interchangeable, except that Sandra Mae Frank is deaf. I DO like the way that they worked sign language into the film, and the moments where we viewed a situation from Frank's perspective were effective. Otherwise they both deliver decent performances; I don't hold this movie against them, but I'm not in a hurry to see anything else they might do.

The male actors...whoooo boy. They need to not be actors. They need to go on a walking tour of the continental US, along with the writers and directors, apologizing for, well, being themselves. Especially Craig Fogel and Derek Long. Those two are just the worst.

Anyway, I wouldn't have gone into all of this were it not for the fake reviews someone either made alt accounts for (or paid someone else for). Balance in all things.

My wife, daughter and I watched it on Netflix tonight. It wasn't Oscar worthy or anything, but it wasn't that bad either. Kept us entertained and that is what movies are for. I thought the young cast did ok with the material.