Soul Survivors (2001)

4% of critics liked it
(47 reviews)
34% of users liked it
(10,348 ratings)

This entry in the perennially popular teen horror genre is from writer/director Steve Carpenter and the producers of I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and Urban Legend (1998). Melissa Sagemiller stars as Cassie, a college freshman trying to get over the death of her boyfriend Sean (Casey… More This entry in the perennially popular teen horror genre is from writer/director Steve Carpenter and the producers of I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and Urban Legend (1998). Melissa Sagemiller stars as Cassie, a college freshman trying to get over the death of her boyfriend Sean (Casey Affleck) in an auto accident. Making matters worse is that ever since the car crash, which also nearly claimed her own life, Cassie has seemed to hover in a netherworld between the living and the dead, where she believes she's hallucinating some spooky, emotional visitations from Sean. In the meantime, she's also coming under the sway of her mysterious friends Matt (Wes Bentley) and Annabel (Eliza Dushku) as well as an androgynous acquaintance (Angela Featherstone) of theirs. Unsure whom she can trust, Cassie turns for aid to an enigmatic young priest, Father Jude (Luke Wilson), but the ultimate truth about her condition and state of mind may come as a shocking revelation. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 24 min.
Directed By: Stephen Carpenter
Written By: Steve Carpenter
Genres: Horror, Mystery & Suspense, Comedy

In Theaters: Jun 1, 2000 Wide
On DVD: Feb 26, 2002
Studio: Artisan Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Robert Koehler, Variety
A horror movie without horror, a spook pic without spookiness and a metaphysical drama without the slightest spiritual tug.
Bruce Fretts, Entertainment Weekly
A cinematic oxymoron: the tasteful teensploitation pic.
Michael Atkinson, Mr. Showbiz
Soulless, spookless sludge.
John Petrakis, Chicago Tribune
The concept of the story is far more interesting than the finished product, which is standard fare at best.
Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle
Survivors is a truly awful mix of bad direction, nonsensical story line and dialogue that appears to have been made up on the spot.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
It's a real struggle to survive Soul Survivors to the finish.
, Empire Magazine
We've been here before, and we'll be here again.
Derek Adams, Time Out
[A] dodo of suspense.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...[a] dead zone of a movie.
Harry Guerin, RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)
You'd probably get the same enjoyment out of watching a public safety advert.
John R. McEwen, Film Quips Online
A serviceable entry in the low-budget horror column, and makes the most of its limited resources with stirring imagery and a full-blown performance by its star.
Brian Walker, ViewLondon
'Soul' is the one of the many things lacking in this sad excuse for a horror film.
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
Things just get sillier and sillier until even the silliness is overwhelmed by the crushing banality of the denouement.
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
Yawn.
Nathaniel Rogers, Film Experience
Dull and inept. It probably won't offend your sensibilities but it may insult your intelligence.
Jeremiah Kipp, Matinee Magazine
It's another pale attempt to mollify an underestimated teenage audience with a slapped together horror premise.
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]
It's a terrible punning title... Quite apart from being lame in itself, it actually helps to give away the correspondingly lame ending in this teen horror vehicle for Hollywood's newest, cutest young stars.
Ian Waldron-Mantgani, UK Critic
When it thinks it is building atmosphere and mystery, it's really just meandering and suffering from dank cinematography.
Jamie Russell, BBC
Blatantly cannibalising every horror movie it can think of in the attempt to produce some patchwork Frankenstein's monster.
Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle
A toothless, fright-free journey into dullsville.

Read all 20 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Lady D

A teen Horror which was not particualarly well acted, could have been a made for tv Horror had it not had the Casey Affleck name associated with it. The ending was fairly decent and the whole thing was watchable, but forgetable too.
Dean !

Really poor excuse for a horror, you think it's a slasher film but then it's not. Terrible.
Bruce B

When this Movie started I thought here comes some more teen horror, Actually it was beyond that, pretty good. Glad I added it to my collection
Dean M

Director Stephen Carpenter trouts out every horror-flick cliche in the book, to little effect. Even the "surprise" ending is a cop-out, and would only surprise these who aren't paying attention.
Steve B

Saw it coming. In fact, I saw it back in 1990 -- it was called Jacob's Ladder.
Jacob P

Really not that great of a film. There were some pretty interesting parts here and there, but nothing big. The twist was pretty good, actually. But that's probably the only good thing about this film. Skip it.
Sean S

Kind of a Jacobs Ladder what is really real kind of movie. A car accident and then a lot of surreal jumping around that is supposed to generate terror but mostly just inspires motion sickness and a sinking feeling that Dushku is going to keep her clothes on for the whole thing.… More
Kind of a Jacobs Ladder what is really real kind of movie. A car accident and then a lot of surreal jumping around that is supposed to generate terror but mostly just inspires motion sickness and a sinking feeling that Dushku is going to keep her clothes on for the whole thing. However she does get into a shower with the star Sagemiller so it's not a total waste...unless you aren't into her....and then it probably is a total waste.
Nicky M

Hard to follow, boring, and no plot equals just plain bad. This one tried to follow the pretty people, bad dreams, psycho stalker killer and fails to do it half/third/fifth as well as many others.
Leo L

A great film.
Robert F

I only saw this movie because I'm a big Eliza Dushku fan. Unfortunately, the movie's poster is a little misleading - Dushku dominates it in the front which would suggest she takes on the lead role. Alas, she's more of a supporting cast member, and Melissa Sagemiller,… More
I only saw this movie because I'm a big Eliza Dushku fan. Unfortunately, the movie's poster is a little misleading - Dushku dominates it in the front which would suggest she takes on the lead role. Alas, she's more of a supporting cast member, and Melissa Sagemiller, who is oddly lost into the background of the poster, is the film's lead. I saw 'The Killer Cut' version of this film - there was one new scene at the beginning which looked like it had just been thrown in for fun - totally random and never addressed at a later stage in the film. Also, there was a certain deleted scene included on the DVD which, if included in the original movie, would have helped viewers greatly in unraveling an otherwise confusing and convoluded story.

Read all 10 featured audience ratings

Cast

            Melissa Sagemiller as Cassie

            Casey Affleck as Sean

            Wes Bentley as Matt

            Eliza Dushku as Annabel

            Angela Featherstone as Raven

            Luke Wilson as Father Jude

            Allen Hamilton as Dr. Haverston

            Ken Moreno as Hideous Dancer

            Carl Paoli as Deathmask

            Barbara E. Robertson as Margaret

            Richard Pickren as Ben

            Candace Kaye Kroslak as Cool Blond

            Ryan Kitley as Young Cop

            Rick Snyder as Father McManus

            Danny Goldberg as Campus Cop

            T.J. Jagodowski as ER Doctor

            Christine Dunford as ER Nurse

            Scott Benjaminson as Second Campus Cop

            Amy Farrington as ER Doctor (Midtown)

            Lily Mojekwu as ER Nurse (Midtown)

            Alex Schlegel as Jump Rope Twin

            Sam Schlegel as Jump Rope Twin

            Michael Sassone as Minister

            Lusia Strus as Stern Nurse

            Adam Joyce as Male Student

            Kelli Nonnemacher as Coed #1

            Jaclyn Barker as Halloween Child

            Susan Wiltrakis as Halloween Child

            Alberto J. Arias as Dancer

            Tina Cannon as Dancer

            Nicholas Foote as Dancer

            Devert Hickman as Dancer

            Trisha Lee as Dancer

            Stephanie Martinez as Dancer

            Shana Montanez as Dancer

            Christopher Perricelli as Dancer

            Laurie Canning as Dancer

            Shannon Elliot as Dancer

            James Gregg as Dancer

            Kelly Tonge Hill as Dancer

            Marcellina Marshall as Dancer

            Elaine McLaurin as Dancer

            Eddy Ocampo as Dancer

            Lara E. Tinari as Dancer

            Robyn M. Williams as Dancer

            Iake Eissinmann
            
            Keith Ferguson
            
            Hallie Golov
            
            JoAnna McCullough
            
            John McCullough
            
            Jacquey Rosati
            
            Christopher Senger
            
            Marcelo Tubert
            
            Margo Hara as actor/leader

            Harvey Jason as actor/leader

            Ian McShane
            
            Margi Clarke
            
            Isaac Hayes
            
            Antonio Fargas
            
            Derrick O'Connor
            
            Al Matthews as Grover Cleveland

            Ardon Bess as Papa

            Leonie Forbes as G'ma T
See full cast

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