by Amanda Sims, Reporter

When the review copies of 6 Souls became available, I jumped at the chance to review this one. After all, according to the description, it was a movie that was right up my alley and scratched my horror-loving itch: the description makes it sound like a wicked psychological drama, with Julianne Moore (30 Rock) playing a psychiatrist who realizes that Jonathan Rhys Meyers’ (The Tudors) alternate personalities aren’t actually alternate personalities at all, but the souls of people he’s murdered.

Okay maybe that does make it sound a little paranormal, but I’d assumed they meant “souls” in the broader sense of the word.

It only took the details of the first murder to come to light for me to realize I was wrong: the murder of the first victim happened when Meyers’ character was supposed to have only been six years old. Shortly thereafter, if I’d had any doubt as to the nature of the film, the action goes out of the way to assuage those doubts and assure the viewer that there is, indeed, something paranormal at work here.

It might not have been quite what I signed up for, but it was still a pretty good ride by the time I’d reached the end. The plot doesn’t smash you upside the head with the paranormal the way other films in the genre sometimes do. In fact, the paranormal elements really don’t come into full play until almost three quarters of the way through the movie. I’d venture to say that up until that point, Moore’s character doesn’t even believe them to be occurring (and not in the way some horror films fall prey to), with her disbelieving things that are right in front of her.

The film does some brilliant subverting of regular horror film tropes, and considering that it’s essentially an ensemble cast film, that’s a much harder thing to achieve than it sounds. It also succeeds in its “jump” scares – not necessarily delivering them where you expect, and surprising you with them in places you won’t normally find them.

Also of interest to me, at least, is the fact that this movie has a competent female lead. In that I mean that Moore’s character doesn’t flinch or falter or make stupid mistakes just because she’s a woman (which does tend to happen far too often for my liking); she is a character with agency who refuses to simply roll over for the sake of the plot.

There are, however, some stumbles and missteps, particularly in the pacing. It’s a slow, quiet movie up until the last thirty minutes or so, almost feeling more like a police drama than a horror film. The premise also has a few holes once you have all of the information (of particular interest to me – how has he only collected six in this day and age?). The ending is also something that left me a little conflicted. While not as dissatisfying as Mama, it wasn’t as good as The Others. It was, however, an ending that felt appropriate given the premise and the way the plot had laid itself out. It also happened to be brilliantly foreshadowed in a moment that, like all great foreshadowing, initially seemed like nothing more than a throwaway filler bit.

Special Features

None.

Overall

6 Souls was a good movie with solid, strong characters, and one that I’ll probably add to the regular popcorn flick rotation when I want something a little more heavy than brain candy and a little lighter than something that will make me want to sleep with the lights on.

Rating:
ComicsOnline gives 6 Souls two and a half out of five souls.

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