I’m hoping really hard for Wes Craven’s My Soul To Take. Craven is a masterful director and, his novel Fountain Society aside, has always been a solid writer, though his best work will probably stand as his collaboration with Kevin Williamson on the Scream saga (and he gets bonus points for co-writing Alex Aja’s remake of his own The Hills Have Eyes – which stands as one of the better – and perhaps the best – 70s horror remakes).
But the long-delayed film (I read a draft of the screenplay back in 2008, back when it was called Bug two title changes ago – from Bug to 25/8 to My Soul To Take) doesn’t do a lot to instill confidence in me. First, after a disappointing round of screenings in Spring 2009, the film was rumored to have been called back for tinkering and reshoots, code words that seem to mean ‘let’s let it sit for awhile until people forget about it’. With last week’s release of the film’s trailer – which looks serviceably haunting in spots and a bit mediocre throughout with a truly leaden voiceover from the film’s lead character – it was formally announced that My Soul To Take would be released in completely unnecessary 3D, which is as sure to keep it from raking in money as the producers were sure it would help it before the brief life of this last 3D bubble was burst (and it has – bad news for next summer’s tentpole films).
Anyway, I’ll go to see it, because this sort of movie is candy to me. But I expect it to be more black licorice and less Pretzel M&Ms.
