Soul Survivors

"The world of the dead and the world of the living... are about to collide"

2001 1h 24m EN

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4.6

SKIP

★4.6TMDB · 201

HorrorMysteryThriller

Synopsis

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A college freshman involved in a fatal car crash discovers she may not have survived after all when she becomes caught between the worlds of the living and the dead.

“The world of the dead and the world of the living... are about to collide”

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Cast

Melissa Sagemiller
Cassie
Wes Bentley
Matt
Casey Affleck
Sean
Eliza Dushku
Annabel
Angela Featherstone
Raven
Luke Wilson
Jude
Allen Hamilton
Dr. Haverston
Ken Moreno
Hideous Dancer

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Stephen Carpenter
Writers: Stephen Carpenter, Reginald Hendrix
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

84 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 25% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

25 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Stephen Carpenter, shot by Fred Murphy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Daniel Licht. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Janice Hampton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Melissa Sagemiller and Wes Bentley and Casey Affleck carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The world of the dead and the world of the living... are about to collide".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Stephen Carpenter directs. Fred Murphy behind the camera. Daniel Licht scores. Janice Hampton cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

184 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Earned back only 25% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
325 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Directed by Stephen Carpenter, shot by Fred Murphy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Daniel Licht. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Janice Hampton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Melissa Sagemiller and Wes Bentley and Casey Affleck carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The world of the dead and the world of the living... are about to collide".
9IMDB entry: tt0218619 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 11 themes, including "hallucination", "car crash", "grim reaper", "death".

The technical file

Cinematography: Fred Murphy
Original score: Daniel Licht
Editing: Janice Hampton
Production design: Larry Fulton
Costume design: Denise Wingate
Makeup / hair: Linda Melazzo
Sound: Chris David
Stunt coordinator: Ron Stein
Runtime: 84 min · 1h 24m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $17,000,000
Box office: $4,299,141
Return: 25% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Soul Survivors (2001)

Also by

Stephen Carpenter

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2019-08-06
★ 5/10
Moving ending, but dull protagonist and meh mystery about life & death A tragedy drastically changes the lives of four Chicago college students when one of them dies. “Soul Survivors” (2001) is a haunting mystery/drama with horror/thriller elements. It has the tone & setting of “Urban Legend” (1998), but without the slasher aspect. It’s also reminiscent in some ways of “An American Werewolf in Paris” (1997), albeit obviously omitting the lycanthropes. The production values are top-notch for the genre and era, but I found Melissa Sagemiller uninteresting as the protagonist. However, Wes Bentley, Casey Affleck, Eliza (No Booty) Dushku and Angela Featherstone are all interesting. The problem is that the story isn’t compelling enough, although the climax is revelatory and moving. Speaking of which, the movie’s a mystery concerning life & death issues. It brings to mind a cult film from the early 60s, but I can’t say its name because I don’t want to give anything away. While “Soul Survivors” recalls that flick, it’s different enough to stand on its own. So even if you go in knowing it shares plot elements with that particular film it won’t ruin your viewing experience. The movie runs 1 hour, 24 minutes, and was shot in the Chicago area, including Evanston and the corresponding Northwestern University. GRADE: C

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