"“Never mind the poor characters in the feature; I think it’s fair to say that my soul was taken during this film…”"

There is a common perception that it is often harder to write a review for a film that is actually quite good, as opposed to one that isn’t. It could be fair to say that in some instances, critics can often resort to laying into a film simply because it’s the easiest option - a cop out if you will.

However, I beg to differ – sometimes writing about just how terrible a film is, is actually the hardest type of review to write, and I am struggling here.

It’s just too easy criticise bad horror films, as we all know how shocking they can be. Scary Movie, for example, has made an entire franchise out of making a mockery of the genre. Therefore, attempting to give this review any sort of originality or innovation hasn’t been easy at all. We all know this film looks pretty rubbish; I just have the difficult job of trying to say why, in an articulate manner.

My Soul to Take is the notorious horror movie-maker Wes Craven’s most recent project. It tells the story of seven 16-year-olds, all of which are born on the same day, which just happens to also be the same day a vicious and psychotic serial killer from the small town of which they originate, was killed. Legend has it that the serial killer now lives within one of the souls of the seven teenagers – and that he wants to kill the unfortunate few who happen to celebrate a birthday on the date of his death.

The seven kids, all of whom are wary of an attack on this frightful day, quite literally tick off every box on the stereotypical horror-movie register. You have the lead role, Bug (Max Thieriot), a quiet and troubled individual, alongside an African-American, an Asian, an annoying church-goer, a pretty blonde, the bullied ‘indie’ kid, and then of course, the bully himself. And I think it’s fair to say that between the seven typically cast characters, there isn’t an ounce of personality or charisma whatsoever.

Wes Craven, the writer and director of the feature, can boast quite a reputation within the genre of horror movies. With the Scream series, as well as Nightmare on Elm Street, to name just a few, he has certainly made quite an impact in this field and in some ways, has shaped it to his liking, adding a more clichéd, teen aspect to contemporary horror movies. However, in My Soul to Take, he has used every single cliché he has ever brought to the genre, and then he has stretched them as far as they can possibly go. In fact, you could spend the entire film predicting what is just about to happen.

In many ways, it’s actually quite hard to differentiate between My Soul to Take, and spoof-horrors, such as the Scary Movie series. They are deliberate parodies of horror films, mocking features such as Scream, in a sarcastic, cynical way. Yet, with this feature, it was just so dreadful and so obvious, that it was hard to tell whether it was a spoof, or if it was an actual attempt at a horror movie.

The plot-line actually had some promise. The idea of a serial killer coming back from the dead to brutally murder seven youngsters certainly has some unsettling elements to it. But this film just wasn’t scary or inventive enough, and proved to be just as much of an inane teen movie as it was a horror.

The dialogue was also a real problem within the feature. There were just so many utterly needless swear words and insults, which to be fair, actually made the film quite funny in parts, although I’m willing to bet that this wasn’t Craven’s intention. My personal favourite, that isn’t too explicit to write here, has got to be, “the Mother’s dead. Way dead.”

Never mind the poor characters in the feature; I think it’s fair to say that my soul was taken during this film. Then it was bludgeoned and beaten, before being handed back to me, all bruised and swollen. It’s going to take a few days, at least, before it heals.