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MY SOUL TO TAKEMovie Reviews
Horror thriller about a serial killer who returns to his hometown to terrorize the seven children who were born on the night, sixteen years earlier, that he allegedly met his demise. Cast:Max Thieriot, John Magaro, Emily Meade, Nick Lashaway, Denzel WhitakerDirector:Wes CravenRelease Date:October 8, 2010DVD Release:February 8, 2011From:UniversalRating:RLength:1 hr 46 minIn 3D
My Soul to Take played to poor reviews. • Roger Moore wrote in the Orlando Sentinel, "Wes Craven must have sold his soul... Scenes that don't build to anything, murders as plot devices that are so scattered that the suspense is as lacking as mystery." • And Keith Phipps wrote for the AV Club, "...feels like a project rescued from the bottom shelf..." More Reviews Below...
My Soul to Take Positive Reviews (14 Reviews, reviews below)
Adam Markovitz, Entertainment Weekly: POOR(cg) "...a brainless, joyless, and yes, you might even say, soulless teen slasher -- the kind of thing you'd expect from one of the lesser directors Wes Craven inspired..."(See all of Adam Markovitz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 190 words, 10/09/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (5 Reviews)
Mike Hale, New York Times: POOR "...thoroughly dreary, by-the-numbers... Mr. Craven follows his usual recipe of comic pop-culture references and dreamy shocks, but his heart doesn't seem to be in either."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 326 words, 10/09/10
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: POOR "...there's not an ounce of tension or a single decent scare to be found amid any of this... there are some dialogue humdingers not even the best actor could make fly."(See all of Gary Goldstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 533 words, 10/09/10
Greg Quill, Toronto Star: POOR(cg) "...blandness and lack of energy suggests the once-formidable storyteller and genuinely original frightmeister is in the grip of a grand ennui."(See all of Greg Quill's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 557 words, 10/09/10
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "Anyhow.... we're volleyed with multiple personalities, voodoo, exploding ambulances, and characters named 'Abel' and 'William Blake.' "(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 229 words, 10/08/10
KEY CITIES (2 Reviews)
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: POOR(cg) "Wes Craven must have sold his soul... Scenes that don't build to anything, murders as plot devices that are so scattered that the suspense is as lacking as mystery."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 669 words, 10/09/10
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: POOR(cg) "...the worst horror movie Wes Craven's made perhaps ever... I never knew what was going on for very long. I'm not sure Craven knows, either."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 401 words, 10/08/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "Anyhow.... we're volleyed with multiple personalities, voodoo, exploding ambulances, and characters named 'Abel' and 'William Blake.' "(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 229 words, 10/08/10
Josh Tyler, Cinema Blend: MODERATE(cg) "...not much more than a collection of the usual, lame, horror movie misdirections but at least these familiar misdirections are directed by the guy who knows them best."(See all of Josh Tyler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 642 words, 10/08/10
Alexandra Cavallo, Boston Phoenix: POOR(cg) "Plot, syntax, character development, and, most important, even the tiniest shred of terror are all no-shows in Craven's big comeback movie."(See all of Alexandra Cavallo's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 144 words, 10/14/10
Simon Abrams, Slant: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Craven's actually striving for a level of emotional and thematic engagement that he hasn't gotten near since his 1989 voodoosploitation gem 'The Serpent and the Rainbow.' "(See all of Simon Abrams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 842 words, 10/08/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Mike Hale, New York Times: POOR "...thoroughly dreary, by-the-numbers... Mr. Craven follows his usual recipe of comic pop-culture references and dreamy shocks, but his heart doesn't seem to be in either."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 326 words, 10/09/10
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: POOR "...there's not an ounce of tension or a single decent scare to be found amid any of this... there are some dialogue humdingers not even the best actor could make fly."(See all of Gary Goldstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 533 words, 10/09/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Dennis Harvey, Daily Variety: POOR "...dumb, derivative teen slasher movie would be uninspiring coming from any writer-director, let alone one with several genre classics under his belt."(See all of Dennis Harvey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 663 words, 10/08/10
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter: POOR "...becomes particularly leaden as it lurches endlessly toward its conclusion, with the action, such as it is, giving way to endlessly confusing exposition..."(See all of Frank Scheck's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 474 words, 10/08/10
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: POOR "...there's not an ounce of tension or a single decent scare to be found amid any of this... there are some dialogue humdingers not even the best actor could make fly."(See all of Gary Goldstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 533 words, 10/09/10
Mike Hale, New York Times: POOR "...thoroughly dreary, by-the-numbers... Mr. Craven follows his usual recipe of comic pop-culture references and dreamy shocks, but his heart doesn't seem to be in either."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 326 words, 10/09/10
15.3 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
My Soul to Take's reviews are separated by an average 15.3 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
My Soul to Take (14 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:My Soul to Take's reviews cover 18.6% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 6,234 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 445 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
My Soul to Take Coverage, Volume & Length (14 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 27.5 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
My Soul to Take's reviews on average broke 27.5 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is My Soul to Take's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
My Soul to Take (14 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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