Soul Survivors parents guide

Soul Survivors Parent Guide

Overall C-

Release date September 7, 2001

Violence D
Sexual Content D+
Profanity C
Substance Use C-

Why is Soul Survivors rated R? The MPAA rated Soul Survivors R

Run Time: 84 minutes

Parent Movie Review

Soul Survivors - Official site Soul Survivors’ clearest message comes in the first fifteen minutes of the film: “Drinking and Driving Kills.” In this case the victim is Sean (Casey Affleck), a young man who drives his girlfriend Cassie (Melissa Sagemiller) to her first year of college. Along with friends, the couple spends the night partying at an old burned out church known as “The Club” where the darker elements of society hang out. Driving back to campus, their car spins out of control on the rain slicked road and plunges down a steep embankment. Following the funeral, Cassie returns to school but she is haunted by recurring hallucinations of her lost boyfriend, blood-splattered images and stalking, disfigured characters.

Soul Survivors - Official site While Cassie struggles through the mourning process, her best friend Annabel (Eliza Dushku) finds solace in the wild party scene at the abandoned church and the shady figures that haunt the once hallowed halls. Matt (Wes Bentley), Cassie’s former love interest, leaves Harvard to spend the semester watching over her but is unable to understand her odd behavior.

Only when she meets Father Jude (Luke Wilson), the local Catholic priest, does Cassie find a listening ear. Encouraged by his compassionate counseling, Cassie finds the courage to face her feelings of guilt and fight a battle to save her soul.

Soul Survivors - Official site Weaving a religious element into this teen horror flick, Director Steve Carpenter contrasts the raucous dancing and lewd activities of the club to the quiet benevolence of the campus priest. But parents should be warned that even this unusually positive depiction of religious leaders is shattered when another priest reaches down the shirt of a distressed parishioner. From there on out this film is filled with quick cut scenes of mangled accident victims, dripping blood, wild parties, eerie chases, and sex in the forest—enough to worry any parent who’s just sent a college freshman out the door.


Rather than heading for this movie, families might find a good discussion about drunk driving and college life a better way to survive the first semester away from home.

Starring Casey Affleck, Melissa Sagemiller, Luke Wilson. Running time: 84 minutes. Theatrical release September 7, 2001. Updated

Soul Survivors Parents' Guide

Annabel is thrilled with her newfound freedom on campus, but how responsibly does she use that freedom? What are the consequences of her choices?

Cassie is distraught about passing up opportunities to express her love to Sean. Are there times you have failed to tell someone that you love him or her, or to show gratitude?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Soul Survivors movie is February 26, 2002. Here are some details…

Please note: This review is based on the movie’s theatrical release, which was rated PG-13 by the MPAA. Since being released to video and DVD, Soul Survivors is now titled Soul Survivors, The Killer Cut and has been assigned an MPAA rating of R. Hence, there will be additional content issues.

DVD notes.Soul Survivors, The Killer Cut,

  • Package type: Keep case
  • Aspect ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.85:1
  • DVD encoding: Region 1
  • Available audio tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby 2.0)
  • Available subtitles: Spanish DVD Extras:
    • Deleted scenes
    • Animated storyboards
    • Select scene Audio Commentary with Melissa Sagemiller
    • Featurette - Behind The Death Mask - The Making Of Soul Survivor
    • Featurette - Living Dangerously - The Art Of Harvey Danger

  • Related home video titles:

    The consequences of partying and drinking in the high school population are the focus of our Big Picture article titled Graduating Tragically. While subtle, these themes also appear in the dramatization of the life of Prefontaine. The film 28 Days looks at the challenges of overcoming additions.

    For audiences merely seeking the thrill of a horror flic, The Sixth Sense offers plenty of twists and also features disfigured ghosts (although it can’t be recommended for family viewing).