Movie Review by Nigel A. Messenger
Starring: Casey Affleck, Wes Bentley, Eliza Dushku, Melissa Sagemiller, Angela Featherstone
Director: Steve Carpenter
From the producer of I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, SOUL SURVIVORS is more of a supernatural movie than a jump-fest.
Four friends, actually two couples about to leave home for college, go on a final night out to a wild and slightly sinister club set in an old and disused church. Cassie (Melissa Sagemiller) wants to leave and waits in the car with her friend’s boyfriend Matt (Wes Bentley). Matt used to date Cassie and even though their relationship has been over for sometime Matt wants one final kiss. Cassie gives in but is caught by Sean (Casey Affleck) her boyfriend. When the fourth one Annabel (Eliza Dushku) returns to the car they all drive off but are involved in a car crash with another car that has just left the club.
Cassie awakes in hospital to find Sean apparently dead. As Cassie tries to get over the accident the behaviour of her friends becomes increasingly strange, especially Annabel.
While SOUL SURVIVORS is not a bad film it’s not in the league of I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER. It’s also being heavily sold on the fact that one of it’s stars, Eliza Dushku, is also the character Faith in BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER television series. Although Eliza Dushku does play a very similar character to her Faith role, which she does very well, plus she is the main character on the poster for the movie, she is not actually the lead role. Melissa Sagemiller another gorgeous young actress is the main character, so if you’re a BUFFY fan trying to get an extra fix of Faith don’t be too disappointed by the fact she doesn’t get the majority of screen time.
While SOUL SURVIVORS has all the ingredients – two extremely attractive female leads and two appealing male leads, plus a spooky storyline – it doesn’t manage to quite come together to make the impact that we need to compare it to the I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER or FINAL DESTINATION type hits. Still, it’s reasonably entertaining plus it introduces Melissa Sagemiller who is a babe to the screen and any chance to see Eliza Dushku in action, has to be worth the time and effort. Although you might have an idea, the film will keep you guessing to the end.
