The Soul Collector - Digital Review

[Michael Scott]

The Soul Collector

Movie:
Video: N/A
Audio: N/A
Extras: N/A
Final Score:


​

Movie
When I first saw the press release for The Soul Collector I thought we were in for another run of the mill supernatural horror film. That judgment was the furthest thing from the truth, as the South African horror story is both heart wrenching, and uniquely different. It may not be THAT good as it’s from first time South African director Harold Holscher, but I will give it major props for doing something different and unique with a supernatural plot (something that is rare in this day and age).

The film was originally called 8 when it hit the film festivals, and it got a rather mediocre response from critics, and was promptly renamed to The Soul Collector, where it received much more favorable responses by those attending. The story is actually rather clever and unique, as it takes on the classic “evil demon” theory with a decidedly South African local flair. The story revolves around orphaned Mary (Keita Luna), her uncle William (Garth Breytenbach) and William’s wife, Sarah (Inge Beckmann). William and his “now” family are moving back to a childhood farm that he’s inherited, and hopefully make a new life for them out there. There they meet Lazarus (Tshamano Sebe), a homeless man who offers to help out around the place for food and lodging.

Sarah is immediately nervous of the homeless man, and it turns out for good reason. Lazarus is feared by the people and now feared by William’s family as he actually has a satchel which houses a demon. A demon that craves, nay, hungers for the souls of the living. However, this isn’t the twist of the story. The real twists stems from Lazarus’s relationship with the demon, and how Hoslcher turns him into a sympathetic villain. You see, Lazarus isn’t exactly stealing people’s soul for his demon out of spite, but rather the two are inexorably intertwined together, with a bulk of the story being an arthouse narrative that reveals just why Lazarus is forced to do what he does for the demon, yet still leaving his actions hideous and irredeemable. It’s a strange dichotomy that keeps the story fresh and unique.

Still, the film does have it’s problems. Mainly with pacing as the film is a bit stilted and awkward. The first act is ok, but the second act spends too much time waxing eloquent and detailing the WHY of Lazarus’s afflicted existence. However, the 3rd act sort of makes up for it, as the low budget film goes on an otherworldly trip that really is intensely frightening and enthralling. I won’t say that it’s the best horror movie of the last year or so, but it IS one of the most unique I’ve seen.




Rating:

Rated R for strong bloody violence throughout, pervasive language, drug use, sexual references and brief graphic nudity




Video: N/A

Being that Scream Factory provided me with a digital screening copy to review, I will refrain on giving a technical audio and video score due to the fact that it was a press only screener, and not indicative of the official streaming quality or the physical disc








Audio: N/A

Same as the video, I will abstain from giving an analysis of the audio due to the streaming nature of the source













Extras: N/A

•

Final Score: ​

The Soul Collector is a rather well made film that takes a unique approach to an old subject matter. Holscher does a good job making his characters feel real, and Sebe does an amazing job as the tortured homeless man with a demon (quite literally) on his back. The direction could use some fine tuning and polishing, but overall it’s a solid venture that does very well for itself. Sadly we couldn’t review the physical copy due to Covid-19 complications, but Scream Factory was kind enough to give us a streaming link to review this for us today. While I may not gush and love it to death, I personally think that the film warrants a watch by long time horror aficionados, as it’s certainly a fascinating piece.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Tshamaano Sebe, Inge Beckmann, Keita Luna, Garth Breytenbach, Chris April, Luxolo Nbadedi, Owam Amey
Directed by: Harold Holscher
Written by: Harold Holscher, Johannes Ferdinand
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Audio: English:
Subtitles:
Studio: Scream Factory
Rated: R
Runtime: 99 Minutes
Digital Release Date: June 12th, 2020

Recommendation: Interesting Watch