On 20 October 2023, my film watch was the DVD pictured above, of the American fantasy movie Soulkeeper. I have no idea what Total DVD is (a magazine presumably?), but despite the warning to Total DVD owners not to resell the Soulkeeper DVD that originally came free with it, the latter DVD was available to buy separately at a local charity shop on 19 October 2023, which is where I duly purchased it second-hand for 50p but in excellent condition.
Watching it the following day, I went into it on the basis that if this movie is as striking as its DVD's front cover illustration, it should be good, but even if not, it will probably keep me out of trouble for 90 minutes or so, which is never a bad thing.
Directed, written, and co-produced by Darin Ferriola , and first screened in 2001 as the very first original TV movie by Sci Fi Pictures on the Sci Fi Channel, Soulkeeper proved to be, I'm pleased to say, a thoroughly entertaining, parodying throwback, or even a deliberate homage, to the many zany, irreverent comedy-horror movies of the 1980s and early 1990s.
Two (very) small-time, down-on-their-luck (i.e. flat broke) thieves, Corey (a Robbie Williams lookalike played by Rodney Rowland) and Terrence (a Declan 'Dec' Donnelly lookalike played by Kevin Patrick Walls), are promised a sizeable fortune from a mysterious gentleman named Pascal (Brad Dourif) if they can steal from a covert cult in the United States an ancient relic called the Rock of Lazarus, which has the power to bring back souls from the dead.
Hot on their trail, however, is Simon the Magus (Ed Trotta), a mysterious figure referred to in certain bona fide biblical apocryphal writings, but who is portrayed in this movie as an evil demonic sorcerer in human guise who wishes to seize the Rock and use it for restoring only evil souls.
In addition, although they are not made aware of the fact for much of the movie, Rob and Dec (sorry, I mean Corey and Terrence!) are also being monitored by a bona fide guardian angel, Mallion (Robert Davi), who is most anxious that they complete their quest successfully.
During their search for the Rock, our two heroes encounter every kind of horror trope that you can think of: seductive female vampires, a mist-enshrouded graveyard filled with groaning stumbling zombies and a shadowy library filled with dusty arcane tomes, a sinister ritual featuring cowled acolytes, a plethora of spooky music and even spookier secondary characters, a non-venomous boa constrictor doubling as a venomous serpent, a rat-and-bat-infested cave – and pop star Debbie Gibson too, truly!
There are also plenty of humorous spoof and wry 1980s movie-tribute gags, my favourite one being a sight-and-sound parody scene in which an upbeat rock anthem accompanies our two heroes as they grimly arm themselves in bold testosterone-pumping readiness for the final cataclysmic battle between good and evil, just as always happened in classic 1980s movies of this kind – except that here, once they're kitted up, one of our heroes presses the off-button on a ghetto blaster that has been playing the music the whole time!
Then suddenly, throwing a total curved ball on the entire proceedings – SPOILER ALERT! – the climactic scene, in which Simon the Magus in his true demonic reptilian form is finally vanquished, also sees one of our heroes killed, sacrificing himself to save his friend.
Naturally, I then waited impatiently for the closing scene to see how he returns in best deus ex machina manner – but it never came, because he doesn't return. He really is dead.
Consequently, the movie ends on a poignant, massively anti-climactic note, featuring a kind of feel-good fading-out scene for our surviving hero as he receives a divine sign from his departed friend, but which for me simply didn't work, because it totally dissipated all of the fun and frivolity that had preceded it. So the movie moral here is: never try to mash-up two totally different film genres.
Still, apart from that awkward, bittersweet ending, Soulkeeper was as entertaining a movie as I'd hoped it would be, with its two principal characters both endearing and also believable as ever-loyal best buddies, plus the numerous digital SFX (more than a hundred, created by Blur Studio) incorporated throughout the storyline were for the most part excellent, and there were plenty of silly but enjoyable slapstick turns at every available turn.
So yes, Soulkeeper did indeed keep me out of trouble for 90 minutes or so, which is all that really matters! Please be warned, however, that it contains some (not much) gore and nudity, explaining why this movie rates a 15 certificate in the UK.
If you'd like to view an official Soulkeeper trailer on YouTube, be sure to click here.
Finally: to view a complete chronological listing of all of my Shuker In MovieLand blog's other film reviews and articles (each one instantly accessible via a direct clickable link), please click HERE, and please click HERE to view a complete fully-clickable alphabetical listing of them.
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