Too much of everything

People are voting emotionally.

Load of rubbish!!

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

There is a pre-credits sequence involving something unpleasant involving evil children. You might well be forgiven for wondering what on earth is going on by the time that opening title sequence rolls. Embrace that wonderment, because during the course of the next 93 minutes, it will become a good friend.The usual constraints of a low-budget production happen here - some unpolished acting (which improves as the horror sets in) and a musical score that occasionally squashes the dialogue. That is something I readily ignore if the film is engaging. Sadly, writer/directors Maurizio and Roberto del Piccolo do everything they can to ensure 'Evil Souls' is not engaging a lot of the time.There is a hugely over-the-top performance from Peter Cosgrove as Valentine, a devotee of The Marquis De Sade. He dresses in period costume and face mask and indulges in some eccentric Shakespearian dialogue. I end up quite liking him, although I'm not sure I'm supposed to. He specialises in kidnapping single mums, it seems, and ends up with old school friends Jess (Holli Dillon) and Susan (Paola Masciadri).There are also some foul-mouthed prostitutes (including Valentine's sister Maddie, played by Lisa Holsappel-Marrs. Lisa also plays Maddie's mother, giving probably the film's best performance; she also co-produces this) and a priest (Julian Boote). There are moments of briefly glimpsed gore. The Italian locations look very impressive, and there is a well conveyed mood-scape of bleakness and gloom, which makes the film as good as it is. And yet the story-line is simply impenetrable. Sometimes a confusing narrative can be successfully disorientating inducing an almost hallucinogenic effect on the viewer. Perhaps that is what is being attempted here.Torture porn, rape, demonic possession that seems to tie-in with historical figures (apart from De Sade, Hitler gets a nod, and others too), revenge, gore and mild nudity: it's all here. The result is often enjoyable despite (or possibly because of) the induced confusion, and things definitely build up towards the end. It's just a shame these elements couldn't have been brought together with a little more cohesion.

Valentine (Peter Cosgrove) is a Marquis de Sade wanna-be who kidnaps and tortured women complete with costume and harpsichord music. The characters in the film are the adults from the back and white childhood scene where Albert, the future priest, didn't participate. We don't know why, but he didn't. There seems to be a ghost story, demon story, and one of a satanic cult. Valentine's rambles on during the film and doesn't say much. There was no way to identify with the characters from the little to no build up. The "horror" aspect consisted of a lot of quick facila close-ups with some ominous music as well as the quick jerk camera with ominous music, generally without us knowing why the kid's furrowed eyebrows are supposed to frighten us. The acting wasn't there.Then there was the twist ending which could have made a good horror film a classic, but just made this one worse.This is what the film says about itself "A child is born with a prophecy preordained. The guardian of the room unleashes his wrath on those who challenge his will. His evil soul knows no boundary as he ravages his sister in sexual gratification, selling her to the highest bidder. Fate is written, but Valentine has to fulfill his destiny. kidnapping two girls he is intent upon unleashing hell, until a priest, sensing ancient evil, knows he must find a way to stop it. With subterfuge, hate, denial and lust, the journey to a room of terror has just begun.... "Some of this information comes late and none of which is actually clear. Peter Cosgrove's character really sucked.Guide: F-word. Bloody nude dead torso.

Unless this film was a highly meta commentary on the nature of schizophrenia as shown through its film making style then it was an utter shambles. There are so many plot points that aren't properly explained and events that seem to have no purpose. It really does make you wonder why someone would throw this whole thing together.It fails to be a compelling movie on nearly every level: story, acting, directing, editing and music are all not really there and I still have no real clue as to what the goal for making this was.Overall it should just be avoided since there really is very little of note, even on a 'so bad it's good' level.

On the bright side the film was professionally shot. That is about it for compliments.Professional reviews and the summary here on IMDb gave the impression this is an intense gore filled "roller coaster". Instead it is a disjointed thrown against the wall to see what would stick mush of PG-13 gore (every time something gruesome happens the camera cuts away so we never honestly see what the "victim" was screaming about), loose possession, demonic ritual, insanity, God, De Sade, and children doing something really awful 25 years ago; but we never are clear on what exactly they did! Couple this with a music score that drowns out key portions of dialog and it is headache inducing!The icing on the cake is the actor playing Valentino. He is so over the top he was in the clouds! A parody of a parody of a joke of a madman.Whatever your taste is in genre horror this film gives you nothing to hold on to or praise as fulfilling a mission statement.