Wes Craven tapped into the psyche of young people in 1984 with A Nightmare on Elm Street. Twelve years later he gave the slasher genre an Intracardiac injection and defined the youth of the next generation with Scream. Much of Scream's success came from Craven's talent and experience behind the camera, but I don't think he could have made the connection with young people without the Kevin Williamson screenplay.
Fourteen years after that, Wes Craven tried to make lightning strike thrice with My Soul To Take.
Screenplay credit for My Soul To Take goes solely to Craven, and there, I think, lies the answer to its failure.
A teen movie at age seventy-one wasn't the best idea for Wes. I think he probably would have liked to do something different than another teenkill opus, but the money suits call the movie shots, and my guess is they rolled the dice in hopes for another big score like Elm Street and Scream.
My Soul To Take isn't a complete wash, but it's definitely a disappointment. I like how mostly unknown performers were used, and they are all pretty good in their roles. Wes knew his way around a movie set, and how to place the cameras and his actors to good effect. Scenes of a railway bridge are wonderfully atmospheric.
Then there are the negative factors.
The dialogue needed serious polish. Some of it is unbelievably awkward. Craven obviously wasn't knowledgeable about the way 2010 teens talked.
The story is a mishmash of elements of his earlier movies. A small town slasher, the Riverton Ripper, made a bloody splash years ago, and now he is stalking the teenaged kids of the town. Sound familiar? A group of teens, the Riverton 7, were all born on the day the Ripper was killed. I half-expected the Dream Warriors to make an appearance.
It's all pretty tiresome and not in the least bit scary. The Ripper monster, what little you can see of him, looks like Gothy cosplay from a horror con. The lead teen is named Bug for some reason. Is that supposed to be endearing? Of course Mom has some secrets and only the kids can stop the Ripper.
My Soul To Take is way too long at one hundred and seven minutes. I was yawning my head off after an hour. By the time the movie struggled to its end, I think we were supposed to be choked up, but I was mainly relieved. Some lame animation and a shitty pop song during the end credits didn't help matters at all.
Should people give My Soul To Take a chance? Hell yes. I think horror fans should watch the entire ouevres of all the classic horror directors. Most of the movies are pretty good. You'll undoubtedly dislike some, but respect is due. To be fair, My Soul To Take isn't as bad as some movies I could name by the old horror guard.
Written by Mark Sieber
Fourteen years after that, Wes Craven tried to make lightning strike thrice with My Soul To Take.
Screenplay credit for My Soul To Take goes solely to Craven, and there, I think, lies the answer to its failure.
A teen movie at age seventy-one wasn't the best idea for Wes. I think he probably would have liked to do something different than another teenkill opus, but the money suits call the movie shots, and my guess is they rolled the dice in hopes for another big score like Elm Street and Scream.
My Soul To Take isn't a complete wash, but it's definitely a disappointment. I like how mostly unknown performers were used, and they are all pretty good in their roles. Wes knew his way around a movie set, and how to place the cameras and his actors to good effect. Scenes of a railway bridge are wonderfully atmospheric.
Then there are the negative factors.
The dialogue needed serious polish. Some of it is unbelievably awkward. Craven obviously wasn't knowledgeable about the way 2010 teens talked.
The story is a mishmash of elements of his earlier movies. A small town slasher, the Riverton Ripper, made a bloody splash years ago, and now he is stalking the teenaged kids of the town. Sound familiar? A group of teens, the Riverton 7, were all born on the day the Ripper was killed. I half-expected the Dream Warriors to make an appearance.
It's all pretty tiresome and not in the least bit scary. The Ripper monster, what little you can see of him, looks like Gothy cosplay from a horror con. The lead teen is named Bug for some reason. Is that supposed to be endearing? Of course Mom has some secrets and only the kids can stop the Ripper.
My Soul To Take is way too long at one hundred and seven minutes. I was yawning my head off after an hour. By the time the movie struggled to its end, I think we were supposed to be choked up, but I was mainly relieved. Some lame animation and a shitty pop song during the end credits didn't help matters at all.
Should people give My Soul To Take a chance? Hell yes. I think horror fans should watch the entire ouevres of all the classic horror directors. Most of the movies are pretty good. You'll undoubtedly dislike some, but respect is due. To be fair, My Soul To Take isn't as bad as some movies I could name by the old horror guard.
Written by Mark Sieber
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