Dead Souls (2012)

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

The film opens with a biblical Osiris human sacrifice gone bad as an infant survives. Family Man crucifies himself with nails from his well stock garage or barn in this case. Johnny Petrie (Jesse James) the surviving infant was raised my Carrie's mom (Geraldine Hughes) wannabe. At 18 he inherits a farm and discovers his secret past as well as Emma (Magda Apanowicz) squatting in his Maine home, next to Stephen King's place, eventually playing something that sounds like Trent Reznor. Johnny wakes something up.The original incident took place about 1995, while the home looked like it was set in the 1970's. The actual farm is in Canterbury, Connecticut and not Maine. The mixing of religions was odd, but using a Horus Eye for an Osiris rite was all wrong, may Crowley have mercy on your soul. The production had a made-for-TV quality to it for much of the pace which I saw better than some alternatives.There are no "zombies" per se in the film, just possessed people who come back from the dead for a bit.Guide: No swearing or nudity. Implied sex. Only self crucifixion scene I can recall ever in a film.

This movie almost made my veins pop at least twelve times in the duration of watching it. The actions and decisions made by the characters more than once made me ask the following questions: a) What is he doing? b) Why would you run there, straight into the lion's mouth when there's a whole open country around you? c) Why do the MC has such a romantic notion on ghosts? d) Why is the MC so annoyingly naive? e) Despite there being a whole lot of open country, 3 cars and a good road, your only method of escape is to run inside the vicinity of the farmhouse? f) How is that logical or even follow basic human behaviour?And what's with everyone's obsession with picking up crow's feathers? They're crow's feather, not exactly rare like a pheonix's feather. One would simply ignore it, won't they?Escuse me? You have vengeful ghosts trapped in limbo trying to kill you and crucify you, so you choose to summon another vengeful ghost to help you? What kind of reasoning is that? Where is your justification? Did the screenwriter drank too much whiskey and forgot to include that one part?Unlike the other commentors, I have no problem with the ending. It's the road towards that ending which caused me to rage. All in all, it's a fine movie to watch with your family and a popcorn in hand on Friday nights, as long as you don't pay attention to it.

A few days after his 18th birthday, Johnny Petrie (James) finds out that he was adopted as an infant and has inherited the family farm in Maine. His Father had murdered the entire family in a religious sacrifice. Johnny was hidden by his brother and he survived to be adopted by his aunt (Geraldine Hughes) who raised him as her son. Once at the broken down country estate, Johnny finds Emma (Apanowicz) a stray staying in the house who agrees to help Johnny uncover his dark family history. This original production from the Chiller channel delivers a tense and gruesome opening showing the families' demise. Time is spent developing the characters even though the Emma character seems shoe horned in so Johnny has a love interest. The pace is slow but a few nice chills are sprinkled in to keep you watching. Johnny must repeat part of the ritual to release his dead families' souls and these scenes get quite tense. Certainly nothing special, this movie plays out better than it has a right to with a few scares for good measure.

Wow, for a made for TV horror film, Dead Souls really delivered. The first ten minutes of the movie were startling. I really did not expect to see such a horrific series of events. The film had some gore, but not over the the top, it had violence, creepy ghosts, zombies, and much more. I really enjoyed this film. The story is about a crazed minister/preacher who believes that Jesus rose from the dead because he studied Egyptian magic. He attempts the ritual he finds in the bible on his own family, with disastrous results.I am looking forward to reading some of this author's books. I will read Dead Souls, and from what I hear, The Dmeonologist is his best horror novel. Thanks Chiller for a great original film.