My Soul to Take

I have been a fan of Wes Craven for a very long time, although my first horrific nightmares involved a certain knife-glove wielding burn victim. Yes, that’s right. The worst part is that those nightmares involved a behind-the-scenes documentary about the NOES movies, not an actual NOES movie. I realize that is kind of sad in a way, and I accept it. Can you really blame me? I was only 7 or 8 at the time. Now that I am way off subject, let’s get back to the topic at hand. My Soul to Take was a great movie and I will admit that I did get to see it in 3D. While it was not a major eye-popping experience, the effects did make you feel like you were immersed in the gore.

The main character of the movie Bug was well played by Max Thieriot. I read in an interview somewhere that Wes made comparisons between himself and Bug. I just love the fact that he can swing from one side of creepy all the way to the other. Bug shares his birthday with six other teenagers, who all incidentally were born the same night. A serial killer known as the Riverton Ripper was captured and then died later on in a rush to the emergency room that night. One by one, sixteen years later, the teenagers are killed off by the supposed Riverton Ripper.

Bug has a sister named Fang, or at least that is the name she goes by. She is a royal raging bitch, and I mean that. She even pays the bully of the group to beat Bug up. In the movie, he’s given a 10, which pretty much means that he got the wind knocked out of him. We don’t find out the reason Fang, played by Emily Meade, hates Bug until further into the movie, I would say at least 3 kills into the film. When Fang first is introduced, she reminded me of a very young Rose McGowan, but you have to think Jawbreakers to get a good idea of her attitude and demeanor. I was impressed by her character and how well she acted. I could actually see her going on to other movies.

The only drawback of My Soul to Take is the lack of other amazing characters. The only ones worth even mentioning are Bug and Fang, respectively. The deaths of the others are completely expected and unexpected at the same time. You know the minor characters are doomed but when they do die, it is not in the ways you would expect. The deaths are inventive and bloody. If there is one thing that Wes Craven knows, it is blood. There is plenty of it in My Soul to Take too.

The gore is definitely gory enough. The two main characters are well played, although I failed to mention the kid who played Bug’s best friend. That kid’s character Alex, played by John Magaro, was also creepy and well played. The end is not the typical one where the killer thought and presumed dead is now actually and officially dead. If I say anything else, it might ruin the ending for you. If you have not seen My Soul to Take yet, then please do. Show Wes your support. He still puts out good movies and if this movie was not proof enough, then make sure you see Scream 4 coming April, 15, 2011. I know I will be.

We here at Girls of Horror give My Soul to Take 5 stars.