Reel Critics

Jim Irwin

Does love endure after the grave, or is it just the giant crack in

your skull? That’s the theme of “Soul Survivors,” a B-horror movie that

is clearly aimed at a teen audience. Language, gore and nudity have all

been cut to help “Soul Survivors” get a PG rating. The result is a movie

that follows a lot of classic horror formula and cliches, but does them

pretty well. It relies on suspense more than shock. There’s a little

Hershey’s syrup flowing, but this is nothing like a bloody slasher flick.

The actors and the story have to carry the movie and create the tension.

At times the script leaves plenty to be desired, but I enjoyed this movie

anyway.

The story is about coping with the aftermath of a fatal car accident.

Driving home from a gothic-horror dance club on a rainy night, Cassie

(Melissa Sagemiller), and her friends have a violent head on collision

and rollover in her SUV. Cassie’s boyfriend Sean (Casey Affleck), is

killed in the accident. Her friends Matt (Wes Bentley), and Annabel

(Eliza Dushku), survive the crash. Cassie is left emotionally shattered.

As the driver, she feels responsible for Sean’s death. If only she had

been able to tell him that she loved him. Awwwww. At times Melissa

Sagemiller is riveting as Cassie, but there are moments when she says

things that make you want to puke. Unfortunately, immature notions of

love are par in teen movies.

The weight of Cassie’s tremendous guilt and sorrow push her stress

levels past her breaking point. She starts hallucinating and has visions

of Sean coming back from the dead to speak with her. How much of what

Cassie experiences is real and how much of it is a delusion caused by

whacking her head against the windshield of her SUV? This kind of story

is an old horror movie cliche, but it still works.

“Soul Survivors”’ script has some moments that are truly awful.

B-horror fans who are used to wading through that kind of stuff, and even

enjoy the unintentional comedy, won’t have any problems with the low

points of the movie. “Soul Survivors” also has some moments that are

pretty cool. This isn’t a movie worth eight bucks, but it’s worth seeing

at a budget theater. If you wait for it to be available as a video rental

you won’t be too disappointed.

* JIM ERWIN, 39, is a technical writer and computer trainer.