The Soul Collector

Holscher opts for a trick twist ending that feels both forced and unwarranted, and the only thing scary about it is that the director thought including it would be a good idea.

There's something eerie, and sometimes even dreadful at the heart of The Soul Collector.

More intriguing for its unfamiliar setting than its action.

There's a lot here that's worth checking out, and that far outweighs the issues I had with it.

Knowing when to be subtle and when to go all out, The Soul Collector is a refreshingly moody, tension-filled film, one that stands out and confidently offers viewers something they haven't seen since Richard Stanley's Dust Devil.

Though 8 lacks genre tropes and instead unfolds like a mysterious puzzle, the film fails to deliver on some of the story's more horrific elements.

While there's no denying the technical skill and beauty of 8, stories like this need to be told by those who live the culture, not the observer.

Since the script wants to initially put everything on Lazarus' shoulders, letting [the] evil exist beyond him to give others the benefit of the doubt seems an afterthought.

While [8] may lack scare factor, it's an unsettling western horror that gives off the same energy as the best ghost stories told under dim candlelight.

An atmospheric and enthralling mix of traditional terror and modern genre cinema.