Customer Reviews

Soulkeeper [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For me, Soulkeeper was the rarest of rarities: A horror movie I had never heard of that turned out to be great. Not just good, but great. Usually, picking up a horror film unbeknownst to oneself solely on the basis of a cool cover box is a fatal error but I am glad to report that in Soulkeeper I have stumbled upon a gem of a horror film.

Corey and Terrence are a couple of dweebs who earn their living as contractors stealing precious artefacts. The beginning sequence shows the two failing miserably at a job and looking more and more like they're down in the dumps. Until a mysterious new client (played by genre veteran Brad Dourif) comes up with an enticing offer: To retrieve the "rock of lazarus", which provides a portal between our world and the afterworld, enabling lost souls to return to earth. Corey and Terrence are offered an initial sum of $8000 up front, $100 000 once the job is complete and the rock returned to their client.

This film really had the look and feel of those 80's comedy horror films that I grew up with as a child such as "House", "Fright Night", "The Gate", etc. There is little gore in this film, it is more of an adventurous type of horror film. In fact, this film surely would have been rated PG-13 were it not for all the T&A shots and sexual references. But the absence of major blood and gore did little to disturb this viewer, as I was thouroughly enthralled in the fantasy world and sense of adventure created by this film. As our two protagonists search for the rock, they stumble through an amazingly diverse and fun set of locales, such as isolated desert towns, redneck bars, a cemetery, a church, a brothel and underground sewage tunnels.

Thumbs up go to the performance of the two leads, played by actors Rodney Rowland and Kevin Patrick Ward. Those two guys were hilarious and oozed charisma throughout. A conversation between the two has no shortage of dirty jokes and clever cultural pop references. They also had a goofy charm that reminded me of Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter in the Bill&Ted movies. Although a straight-to-vid flick this is a horror film that can be enjoyed by anyone, not just fans of B-Movies. Great stuff for any horror fan but especially for those in the mood for a dose of 80's comedy-horror nostalgia.

If you like comedy's then you have to see this! It rips off so many movies such as The Exorcist, Evil Dead, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. This is so funny. If you see this, I promise you'll enjoy the off the wall humor. Some reviewers claimed that this was a horror film that wasn't scary, but this is more of a comedy than anything, so if you're ineed of a good laugh, I recommend seeing this movie as soon as possible.

I needed a fix of Rodney Rowland. I admit it, I rented this movie for the eye candy effects. Actually, I've been a fan of his for the past few years, and this was among his latest work...
Now I should mention that I hate horror movies, and I really have better things to do with two hours of my precious time than watch any type of bad movie. But, you know, a girl's gotta' do what a girl's gotta' do. So off I went to the local Blockbuster, where I found it on the shelf and of course, the cover just screamed CHEESY HORROR FLICK. I took it sheepishly to the rental counter, ran out of the store, and popped it into my VCR.
I was stunned - pleasantly! It wasn't really gory at all! And I found myself genuinely laughing out loud - ALOT! This was a really fun, FUNNY movie. And I adored the final scene.
I told everyone I could on Monday to rent this movie - especially everyone I knew was a fan of cute guys with really broad shoulders - but really - everyone I thought would enjoy a fun Friday night flick! It's a shame this didn't get more exposure....

SOULKEEPER is one of those rare finds: a movie you've never heard of, that comes off quite entertaining and surprisingly good.
Rodney Rowland and Kevin Patrick Walls are wonderful in the leads, sharing a kind of Martin/Lewis or Nolte/Murphy relationship. They're both great at throw off lines and can mold the tough action hero with the pretty inept stud. Add the delightful presence of stalwarts such as Karen Black, Robert Davi and Brad Dourif for some campy punch.
The effects are quite good for a movie on a lower budget, and the demon creatures are pretty intense and awesome.
When we meet Frederick Finch finally, it's a rare hoot and shows the writer's inventive imagination!!!
Maintaining a comic underpinning throughout, it does turn a little somber and sentimental at the end, but it's been so good, who cares?
A DELIGHTFUL SURPRISE!

A friend of mine did sound editing for Soulkeeper, and because I had seen bits and pieces of it without any sound I was rather bemusedly intrigued to see what the plot of the movie actually was. So we rented it one night when it finally came out, and we were pleasantly surprised! It kept a dorm room full of college kids amused for a couple of hours. Definitely keep the comedic factor in mind: don't expect a horror-extravaganza. But this movie is good because it's humorously self-conscious, i.e. it doesn't take itself too seriously and if you don't either then you'll have a quite a few good laughs.

SOULKEEPER opens with a scene that rips off the cllmax of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, then moves to the present day as two thieves impersonating Abe Lincoln scam a Civil War enactment at a museum, which results in an amusing impromptu performance in order to save their skins.
But although the heist is a success they get dumped by their boss "Mr M", who addresses them via intercom a la CHARLIE'S ANGELS. To cheer up they head to a bar where they meet two foxy ladies who are a bit odd to say the least. They lead them to a strange man, who has the worst French accent on the planet; who offers the guys a large sum of money to go on a quest to find the Ark Of Lazarus. Just like that. This leads the duo on a journey through their wildest fantasies and worst nightmares...
SOULKEEPER is surprisingly fun; with cheesy FX and set pieces (especially the graveyard), tongue in cheek humor, some good gore scenes and lesbian sex, this one's pretty good. My only quibble is that director/ screenwriter Darin James Ferriola seems to be making everything up as he goes,but despite that SOULKEEPER is worth watching.

This is the type of movie that sounds like it will be incredibly stupid...and it is. In a good way. A cross between "Dude, Where's My Car?" and "The Exorcist," this movie borders on parody. The main characters (especially the perennially confused Corey) provide a running commentary on the bizarre action of the movie that any skeptic would enjoy.
Obviously, this is a movie best enjoyed at 3 am with one's best friends - not a cinematic masterpiece. It has no redeeming qualities as a work of art, and the catchphrase ("Do you believe in the power of the human soul") is repeated more times than I could keep count of. Still, it's an entertaining piece of fluff with a surprisingly sweet ending worth seeing once.

Are 5 stars too many? No, and I tell you why I rated the movie that high. I didn't expect anything when I purchased the DVD, because I've already read so many bad critics that I was very sceptical. But that funny movie was just the opposite. For a straight-to-TV/Video-flick, the special effects were fantastic. The actors played their roles very well and the film had some nice surprises. But it was not only about fun and monsters, dealing with the afterlife is a serious subject in the movie.

not only blockbuster-movies do get high rates from me, this one really earned it.

Good "B" effort with above average performances and effects. Tongue firmly in cheek while not protuding grotesquely. Some delightful surprises along the way...and Brad Douriff to boot. Worth the price.

I have to say that there are two things that strike my interest in this world, horror and Deborah Gibson (yes, I am a freak). So to see a movie combining both, was enough to sell me. Okay, so she only makes a cameo, but I'll take what I can get. Aside from her, I found the movie enjoyable. The plot was fairly unique, the sfx definitely up to par (for an indie flick) and the humor, while cornball at times, kept the whole thing entertaining. All in all, an enjoyable watch. The only thing I would change is... yeah, more Deb. As a matter of fact, look for SoulkeeperII directed by me as soon as her people start returning my phone calls.