SOUL TO KEEP: A Sisyphean Tale Of Demonic Possession

David Allensworth and Moniére’s feature-length directorial debut comes in the form of Soul to Keep, a horror tale about sadistic ritualism that, whilst having its heart in the right place, struggles to break free from the shackles of genre conformity.

The story tailors around an ensemble of misfit college teens who venture to a secluded country home in the centre of a barren farm for the weekend, only to be plagued by a demonic force of tangible evil brought to life through the recital of ancient rituals. Think Sam Raimi’s cult-classic The Evil Dead, but without any of the cutting edge of its predecessor. We’ve seen it all before, of course, but Allensworth and Moniére’s film isn’t afraid to challenge the established conventions of the genre it finds itself in.

The opening sequence propels the viewer straight into the proceedings – two friends hiding silently in a closet, peering through the gaps of the door for the threat that is lurking within the shadows. The door flies off its hinges; the screen fading to black. The opening credits roll, a creepy-looking book opens, illustrated with demonic creatures and archaic, satanic lettering engraved within the pages.

Interestingly, there are images of demons overseeing the deeds of humanity’s most malevolent beings, Adolf Hitler and John Wilkes Booth; evoking the sense that demons lurk within the subconscious of all living beings – a nuance that continues throughout the film’s entirety.

The Battle for Originality

What follows is a typical ‘teens trapped in an isolated location’ horror story of demonic possession and satanic ritualism, themes that aren’t particularly fresh. With that said, Soul To Keep, in an attempt to flip these conventions on their head, places a deaf character (played convincingly by Sandra Mae Frank) at the heart of the narrative, frustratingly for the directors in a similar fashion to John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place. It’s a refreshing change of direction and delicately handled. Her friends compassionately communicate with ASL whenever she’s present, and there’s a touching sentiment to use a balloon so she can feel the vibrations of the music roaring from the speakers. It’s a warm piece of cinematic representation that is sadly not as welcomed by Hollywood as it should be.

The rest of the characters, however, are as archetypal as you would expect – the jock, the stoner, the frigid intellectual; they are all present here. Yet there’s an element of self-awareness that surrounds the film. It’s pointed out that the relationship between the “jock, pretty boy, steroid addict” and the “intelligent, wonderful, wicken girl” is a complete mismatch, so is that the whole point? Or is it an excuse to lazily adhere to genre conventions? Allensworth and Moniére would plead the case of the former, I’m sure.

Soul To Keep is undoubtedly inspired by a variety of horror stories; there’s an abundance of self-referential nods to The Blair Witch Project and The Twilight Zone, and there’s also a recurring theme of sexuality being used as a way of transferring demonic possession that doesn’t feel a million miles away from It Follows. It doesn’t really expand upon these stories, but it does prove that the filmmakers have an adoration for horror cinema.

The visual effects are also impressive for a relatively small budget production, and some of the cinematography is ripe with analysis – including the opening aerial and drone shots which evoke the sense of something otherworldly watching over them. The performances from the aspiring actors are mostly convincing, although they become evidently shaky during the more dramatic moments.

Soul To Keep: An Unconvincing ‘Horror’ Tale?

Sadly, Soul To Keep’s biggest issue is that it’s just not particularly scary. There’s a few jump scares scattered among the proceedings now and again, but for the most part, there’s a complete omission of any genuine suspense or sense of dread that ever left me feeling unsettled. There seems to be too much brightness from the cinematography that undermined the darkness of the core themes themselves (shooting mostly during the day doesn’t help), but it is evident that the lack of suspense boils down to the expendability of the characters.

There’s an emotional disconnect between the viewer and the characters on-screen that ultimately minimalises the stakes of the film’s more intense moments. There are too many paper-thin characters and not enough time in the runtime to add any depth to each of them, resulting in no cares being given about the fate of any of those fighting for survival.

But there’s a lot of promise in Allensworth and Moniére’s debut that can’t be overlooked. The refreshingly diverse cast, the challenging of horror representation in regards to compassionate on-screen disability, and even with the genuinely unexpected twist in the film’s final moments – it’s clear that the debutants are on the right path. I, for one, will be keeping an eye out for their future projects.

What are your thoughts on Soul to Keep?

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