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List Price: $19.95 | | Label: Weinstein Company
Salesrank: 21871
Released: January 1, 2008 |
| Our Price: $10.29 |
| Used Price: $2.94 |
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MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Directed by Daniel Myrick (THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT) the horror movie SOLSTICE follows a group of high school friends on their summer vacation at a lake house. Soon things take a turn for the worse when Meghan (Elizabeth Harnois) realizes that her dead twin sister is trying to contact her. The feature stars Shawn Ashmore (X-MEN) Tyler Hoechlin (7TH HEAVEN) Amanda Seyfried (MEAN GIRLS BIG LOVE) and R. Lee Ermey (FULL METAL JACKET SE7EN).Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR/PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER UPC: 796019809535 Manufacturer No: 80953
Solstice Reviews:
Okay movie. 
2008-06-27 - I'm a huge One Tree Hill fan, so I had to buy this movie since Hilarie Burton and Elisabeth Harnois are two of the main characters. The movie is about a girl (Harnois) who's twin sister commits suicide. Trying to cope with the loss of her sister, she and friends travel to a remote house to vacation for the summer solstice. As the movie progresses, we learn more and more as to what may have caused the suicide of her sister, and it's her responsibility to solve the mystery.
The movie has some scary moments in the "boo -ahh" sense, nothing to graphic or violent. The voo-doo stuff was a bit unrealistic to me, but I am a very skeptical person to begin with. This movie was alright, but I definitely wouldn't give it 5 stars.
A well-paced atmospheric supernatural thriller
2008-06-16 - Frankly, I had low expectations for this movie, just based on the synopsis. However, after watching it, I found it quite well-done. It is not a gory horror thriller, but more of an atmospheric chiller that is centred around mysterious events.
Megan [Elisabeth Harnois of Point Pleasant fame] is devastated by the loss of her twin sister Sophie, and she and her college-bound friends decide to take a break at Megan's family's vacation home out on the Louisiana bayou. Her friends are played by among others, Shawn Ashmore (X-Men series), Amanda Seyfried (Big Love) and Hilarie Burton (One Tree Hill). Megan finds herself being 'haunted' by disturbing images to do with her sister's suicide and keeps finding a keyring that she thinks belonged to her late sister. Each attempt to bury it or dispose of it fails, and she finally begins to suspect that it has something to do with her sister's suicide. A guy she meets at the local grocery store [played by Tyler Hoechlin of 7th heaven] stirs her interest in Creole folklore, and on the night of the solstice, the group gets together to conjure Sophie's spirit, only they find more than they bargain for.
The acting is average on the whole, though the lead actress is quite credible as the distraught sister seeking answers. The effects are well-done - of course, there is a creepy looking entity that keeps popping up throughout the movie, but this is subtly done, and doesn't annoy the audience unlike some other horror movies. The special effects are minimal, but what effects there are subtly add to the atmosphere and enhance the unfolding plot.
I would not categorise this as a great horror movie, but it is a decently made supernatural flick that arouses one's interest - the mystery element in the storyline engages the audience and makes us curious as to what is really going on. This makes for quite an entertaining viewing experience, though the first half did drag a bit. On the whole, a decent mystery/supernatural flick.
Now that's what I'm talking about! 
2008-04-13 - Hollywood, I hope you are taking notes. This is what a thriller should be like. Please make more like this one. The background music, usually a simple tune that you feel like you've heard before, is perfect. The character development is just enough to hold interest, and yet, not bore. We follow the main character, a girl who has lost her twin sister in death. She hallucinates (or does she?) strange occurrences during her grief. This movie is gore-free, so the scares are the kind that jump out and say "boo" rather than "ew," which just goes to show you can have a scary movie, without the blood. There is substantial action, but there are also lulls in the movie; these occur at points in the movie when the plot is being developed. I kept trying to figure out the plot twist, because in this type of movie, there is always a plot twist. I am always impressed when I can't figure it out. (Where is the fun in always knowing what is going to happen?) I admit my bias towards supernatural movies, especially involving a holiday close to my heart--Midsummer solstice. Most movies reduce the celebration of these holidays to something evil, but thankfully this one refrains from making a mockery of it. If you enjoyed the odd black and white scenes from the movie "The Ring," you will enjoy the opening credits. The movie itself is in color, but there is an ethereal feeling about those scenes, which are important later on. The scenery throughout is lovely, haunting. Again, Hollywood, please make more movies like this.
A sneaksihly good movie 
2008-04-11 - I am drawn to a dvd that has a cover like Solstice does. Reminds me of all the 'wanna be' movies that came out after 'Scream' and I guess even 'I Know What You Did Last Summer'. I usually expect them to be bad, with maybe a decent moment that might...MIGHT...make me jump or feel uneasy or look up at my second floor balcony that peers into the living room where shadows look like ghosts in the dark.
With this movie though, I watched it with a big group of friends since I was at work and nothing much was going on (and I'm in Iraq so its not like I get to go home to watch it on my TV..heh). The whole group I was with was pretty much into the movie. Of course watching a movie like this will have a bunch of guys, when together, blurting out to the TV for someone to 'just take your top off already' or 'man this movie would be a lot cooler if she'd take her top off'. Guy talk. But after about 20-30 minutes of that, most of everyone was sitting still and getting into the movie.
I think that was because the movie itself has an actual story and the scares are pretty much spread out pretty far from each other. I honestly cant remember the characters names due to me watching this with a group of people. But the names I remember us using was 'Hot Girl' (the main actress), Iceman (the actor that plays Iceman from X-Men), Veronica Mars' dead friend, and then you have the couple who just filled a role because you think they are exterminable. But like another reviewer said, a lot of stuff that you think is going to happend..doesnt. And that's good cause I'm tired of being able to guess the whole movie in about 3 minutes.
Our group of teenagers are spending their senior week (seriously how long has our Iceman been doing teenager roles? For like 6 or 7 years now? Geez) up at a family cabin. One night 'Hot Girl' wakes up to find that the car is on and a item of her dead sisters is lying in the car. She then begins to see wierd things throughout the movie that leads her to believe her sister is haunting her, but why? Maybe it has something to do with the wierd old creepy guy that she meets while taking a jog one morning. I mean hell...it's R. Lee Ermey...so of course I'm gonna start thinking it has to do with him. Have you seen the remake or the prequel of Texas Chainsaw Massacre? I will forever have him in my head as that psychotic cop now. Not the drill segeant from Full Metal Jacket...or not even the dad of the Janitor from 'Scrubs'. But that damn cop and his cold killer ways.
I will warn you though. The movie might seem slow and might seem like it's not going anywhere for quite awhile. But once the movie starts to wrap itself up, you'll be pleasantly pleased with it. I did not see the ending coming for once. Maybe it's cause I wasnt paying 100% attention at the time, but honestly I think its just because they actually surprised me.
If you are walking those isles of Blockbuster or cruising the lists trying to think of a movie to throw in your Netflix queue, then give this movie a try.
Better then I expected.
2008-02-01 - I am a huge fan of The Blair Witch Project, so any movie directed by Ed or Dan (the 2 behind Blair) is a must-see for me. So it was no surprise that I was quick to pick up Solstice when it came out. The acting is good and even though its a typical good looking young cast, the story is anything but generic. The movie is enjoyable to watch and delivers a couple good chills. Its not really comparable to Blair Witch at all... In fact, i'm told this movie is actually a remake of a 2003 film from another country. I've never seen the original so I can't say which one is better, but if you enjoy minimal horror movies then this would probably be up your alley.
