Soulmate by Axelle Carolyn out now on DVD. With updates on US release |

When recently widowed Audrey (played by Anna Walton) retreats to an isolated house in the countryside of Wales, she finds herself unable to get the privacy that she believes she so needs. Beginning with the strange noises in the night air, the creepiness escalates, but not in the way recent ‘haunted house’ films generally do.

Welcome to the world of ‘Soulmate’

Written and Directed by Axelle Carolyn, Soulmate is an absolute gem of a film, shot with pretty much a handful of cast members (including Anubis the dog, shes awesome), the film is an excellent piece of work for Axelle’s feature debut (she has directed several short films previous to this).

Soulmate has beautiful cinematography (by Sara Deane) set in stunning locations (Powys in Wales), the film has an excellent stage play feel to it, and if it hasnt already begun to appeal to those who love theatre, it should. ‘Soulmate’ would work brilliantly on stage. Heres hoping Axelle decides to adapt it for the boards at some point.

But lets get back to the film. Whereas most ‘haunted house’ films are set to large set pieces and furniture flying all over the place, people screaming and running from buildings that collapse. ‘Soulmate’ is pure character based storytelling, focusing on Audrey (Anna Walton) and her obcession with learning more about Talbot Cottage and its history.

Whilst the performance of the film pretty much sits on the shoulders of Anna Walton, the supporting cast also do a wonderful job with their roles.

The minimal cast of Tom Wisdom (300, The Boat That Rocked), Tanya Myers (Oranges and Sunshine, Control) and Nick Brimble (Robin Hood:Prince of Thieves, 7Lives), and Anubis the dog in her feature film debut all propeling the story towards its conclusion.

Whilst I dont like to focus on gender, it is worth noting (isnt it?) that its fantastic and very well earned to see so many main roles in this film occupied by women. Writer/Director, Cinematographer, Art Direction, Costume designer, Make up department, and many many more.

Would the film have been different had it been male orientated? (different perhaps, better, I highly doubt it) Who knows. But I know that Soulmate is a fantastic project, with the perfect casting, from a great story, wonderfully acted and put together. It doesnt need action setpieces, it doesnt need buckets of gore or jump scares, and doesnt need a third act set of craziness. Things that so often fill creepy films nowadays.

For those who love creepy house movies, perhaps you are a Hammer film fan. Did you love The Others or The Woman In Black? But you know what. If you just love good films, with good stories. Then you need to check out Soulmate which is out on DVD on August 11th 2014. Or perhaps you love the classic films. I was reminded to a certain extent of a film that came out in the 40s, but I didnt see until the late 80s. That film. The Ghost and Mrs Muir where the story also wasnt a poltergiest movie but was in fact a film about people (and spirits). If you havent seen The Ghost and Mrs Muir. Track it down.

Its also worth noting that on the Soulmate DVD there are some great special features including interviews with some of the people behind the film (Axelle Carolyn, Neil Marshall and Anna Walton)

Neil-Marshall (Exec Producer) & Axelle-Carolyn (Wri/Dir)

There are also two short films (The Last Post” and “The Halloween Kid”) included on the DVD as well as a feature length commentary by Writer/Director Axelle Carolyn and also her husband and Executive Producer Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers, The Descent). I very much look forward to checking out the two films.

I did check out the commentary which funnily enough also mentions The Ghost and Mrs Muir. Axelle and Neil go into the whole background of Soulmate, where the idea came from, some of the hurdles they faced bringing the film to life, casting and even begin with a conversation about the BBFC and film censorship. A brilliant chat track.

FromPage2Screen highly recommends Soulmate from Soda Pictures.

Soda Pictures handled the films release in the UK.