Director – Steve Hermann (Blood Sisters, It Came from Somewhere)
Starring – Angel Nichole Bradford (Wolf Hollow, Night of the Axe), Joe Rosing (Attack of the Corn Zombies, Flesh Fire), and Magdalena Conway (Morium, Nightmare)
Release Date – 2023
Rating – 4/5
I love the unique, unusual, and different indie horror films that I get in randomly for review. I’ve been fortunate to review some seriously impressive indie features over the years and when I asked for movies to watch during my October horror binge I was not expecting the response I received. Several people reached out to me and I found myself with over 100 films to review.
Some of the films were horror but didn’t really fit in the Halloween theme but I was still grateful they reached out to me to review their projects. One of those films was the horror/romance flick Desperate Souls starring Angel Bradford and Joe Rosing. This would be a film that I surprisingly loved. In fact, I watched it twice before I started the review. I want to thank Angel for bringing this film to my attention and scoring me a review link.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a young man who is struggling with life. He’s constantly alone with his thoughts, which has resulted in him seeking professional help. His longing for death is only second to his desire to find love. Things change when he meets Moira (Bradford). She comes to him one night in his sleep leaving him to suspect that their encounter was a dream. However, it was anything but. She is a succubus and is drawn to his sorrow. The two fall in love which sends her on a murderous rampage killing anyone she suspects might come between the two. However, the more time they spend together, the weaker he becomes forcing her to break up with him for fear of killing him. **Spoiler Alert**
I never expected to love Desperate Souls as much as I did but here we are. It’s not often that I find myself needing to watch a film a second time but this movie deserved it. In fact, as soon as I can add this indie romance horror hybrid to my movie collection. I know a lot of genre fans will hate it but fans of cinema in general will greatly appreciate this one.
The acting in this one is uneven but not bad. The film’s leads, Angel Bradford and Joe Rosing, work so well together. Rosing’s character is a man that has been beaten down to the point he doesn’t know which way is up. His sorrowful demeanor really does show on screen. He does a fantastic job in the role. The same can be said for Bradford. She’s not a menacing figure if you’ve been lucky enough to meet her but she does pull off the sexy succubus with a knack for killing. These two almost fed off each other in each scene and their on-screen chemistry made the film as good as it is. The supporting cast is solid but there were a few scenes where the acting and dialogue were a bit awkward to watch.
The story for this one is very well written. It flows like an early 2000’s horror movie that you could find on store shelves from companies like Brain Damage Films with a romantic twist. The characters are written well into the story and the meshing of the romance with the horror works very well together. I typically find myself not interested in films with romance angles but it was so well written and captivating that I found myself pulled into it.
Finally, the film has several bloody moments with minimal practical effects. The kills fit the film and we get some of the red stuff but the effects are nothing that stands out especially if you are a fan of gory horror. Overall, Desperate Souls is going to be a polarizing film among indie horror fans but I truly enjoyed it. It’s not often that a horror film can portray love in a manner like Desperate Souls is able to. I highly recommend this one so check it out
