Synopsis:
When four struggling band members stop at a lonely roadside cafe for a slice of pie, they find themselves imprisoned in the deranged cafe owner’s bizarre art collection, and must battle a sinister force with an appetite for souls.
Cast: Honey Lauren, John Salandria, Mark Valeriano, Amber Gaston, Sarah J. Bartholomew, Thom Michael Mulligan, Frank Papia
Director: Terry Ross
Writer: F. Scott Mudgett
Ever heard someone say “take a picture, it’ll last longer”? Well, Sweet Taste of Souls takes that saying very literally. This campy horror film involves a cafe run by a woman who’s keeping a collection of real people in photo frames around the shop. It’s creepy, a little odd, and a paper shredder has never looked—or sounded—so gnarly in a film before.
Four bandmates stop by the little cafe while on a road trip. Inside they meet the woman, Ellinore (Honey Lauren), and ask for pie before they’re on their way. They don’t get far down the road before a fight breaks out between Nate (John Salandria) and Kyle (Mark Valeriano)—supposedly best friends—while their other bandmates, Wendy (Amber Gaston) and Lily (Sarah J. Bartholomew), watch on in disgust. It seems the bickering between Nate and Kyle is a common occurrence. Kyle is an obvious bully, and also the type of “friend” to pee on you while you sleep for a laugh. As their fight calms down, Kyle suddenly disappears, and the three others shortly follow. Where they reappear is inside a photo frame on the wall of the cafe, with an evil-looking Ellinore laughing at her latest captures.
Why and how Ellinore is able to capture people and save them inside photos is never really explained—nor does it need to be. It’s a prison no matter how you look at it and, of course, the four bandmates attempt to find a way to escape.
As the film progresses you get more information about Ellinore’s past, and the themes at play are serious ones. She’s a tortured woman, with an evil, abusive husband at the centre of her trauma. For the most part, Honey Lauren does a nice job of playing Ellinore as both someone in need of serious help and a homicidal, torturous killer.
The concept of Sweet Taste of Souls is original and there’s some fun to be had, but I wish the two starring male characters were written better. Kyle is a horrible person and I never cared whether he survived. Both male leads also give very amateur performances, which I’m usually fine with in indie horror as long as the characters are written well—which they aren’t here. Sarah J. Bartholomew is the most likeable member of the cast and gives the most grounded performance; it’s a pity her character doesn’t get a more interesting arc.
Using smart cinematography and minimal special effects means the majority of the film looks great, but the last act introduces a sequence of very cheap VFX that took me out of the movie. I understand it’s an indie film, but the filmmakers had been so smart with their VFX use up until this point.
If it weren’t for the super-unlikeable leads, Sweet Taste of Souls would have been a more enjoyable watch. It still has that campy indie-horror vibe a particular audience will appreciate, and the core concept is unique enough to carry the weaker parts of the film.
Sweet Taste of Souls is now streaming on Amazon (U.S.) and Vudu.
(Sweet Taste of Souls screener provided for review)
