Solstice
Starring: Elisabeth Harnois, R. Lee Ermy, Amanda Seyfried, Hilarie Burton, Shawn Ashmore
Directed By: Daniel Myrick
Written By: Ethan Erwin, Marty Musatov
Released: 2008
Grade: B

Solstice is a film that really seemed to have almost gotten lost before it has even had much of a chance. It was released straight to DVD without much exposure. I only stumbled upon it through one of the cast members. The description of the movie doesn’t seem that great, but the cast alone really sparked my interest. Fortunately, the cast pushed the film forward further through a story that worked through the suspense applied to it.

Megan (Harnois) is having trouble dealing with the death of her twin sister, Sofie (Harnois). She was found dead and suspected to have committed suicide. Recently before her death, they were fighting, making Megan think she might have had a part in her desire to kill herself.

To try to deal with this, Megan leaves with some of her friends for their annual trip in the woods of Louisiana. On their way there, the run in to a creepy old man, Leonard (Ermy). Not long after that Megan starts to get a weird feeling, like she can feel Sofie there with them. Megan begins to see more and more things that make her believe that this is really true. This that belonged to Sofie keep on appearing, no matter what she does to try to get rid of them, they keep on coming back from her. Megan soon learns from one of the locals that this means that she is cursed. The only way to undo the curse is to bury the belongings in the ground. Even when she does this though, it doesn’t seem to be the end of it. Perhaps it is more than a curse. Megan can’t help but feel like Sofie is trying to tell her something, desperately pleading for her help.

Megan tries to get her friends to understand. At first they try to, understanding the extreme loss she is going through. Soon though, they begin to assume that she is out of her mind and just needs to get out of there. Leaving this place would be the same as leaving and abandoning her sister, which is something she just can’t do, not again. As Megan continues to find connections between the belongings of Sofie and Leonard, she can’t help but suspect him. Christian, who seems like he should be the one there for her, fails to be a real friend to her while the local boy, fights with her to try to figure out the truth of what really happened to Sofie, so her spirit can be free and so Megan can have peace and the ability to go on with her life.

Even though I was surprised how much I liked the movie, the cast is really what give it its’ appeal. There are really so many unique and talented stars here working together. The creepy and scary old man is a role that R. Lee Ermy has perfected. He has such a strong presence in the horror films he is in. He is a little more laid back here, which gives him more of a subtlety. Elisabeth Harnois has always been able to carry a film, especially of that regarding mystery, suspense, and evils, as is the case here. This was a terrific role for her, which she really rose to. Her strength in bringing her character and what was going on in her mind to life, really put this movie to another level. Hilarie Burton was how I came across the movie. She did very well here, showing some spunk, as well as genuine concern for her friends. Our Very Own is still her best performance to date, but I did see some of those same qualities in this. Amanda Seyfried played a similar role to Burton as another one of Megan’s best friends. As the film drawed in, she made thing light and fun, and as things took a different turn to struggled to help keep the sanity. She is really a terrific actress and her short role in Veronica Mars is one of the best examples of it while it was fun, intoxicating, and chilling all at the same time. Shawn Ashmore certainly improved upon the last thing I saw him in, The Disney Channel Original Movie, Cadet Kelly. If you go down from there though, you know you’re career is in trouble. Ashmore displayed several different attitudes and even intentions, making us continuously guessing what his character was really all about.

Solstice is not the most complex horror film and it certainly isn’t new. However, I still really enjoyed watching it and all of the events unfold. It doesn’t really have a twist ending, but the direction that it went towards the end was still exciting and thrilling. It is no doubt that the characters and excellent performance really added to the enjoyment of the film. Soltice is a very forgettable film, not covering any ground that shows anything we haven’t seen before. However, as a PG-13 horror film, it is far better than most of them. It seems to fit on the same level of Disturbia. Nothing in that film was a surprise, but was very expected. Solstice has a slightly higher surprising element to it, as there seem to be less clichéd material. More importantly though, they both are very fun to watch, suspense driven, and executed to the full potential through the likeable characters and performances given to enhance them. Solstice is tame, but still likeable and thrilling horror film worth seeing.

- Kelsey Zukowski