Solstice (II) (2008)

A young girl uncovers a disturbing secret about her twin sister, who committed suicide just a few months before.

Director:

Daniel Myrick

Writers:

Daniel Myrick, Martin Musatov,

Stars:

Elisabeth Harnois, Shawn Ashmore, Hilarie Burton

Cast

Cast overview:
Elisabeth Harnois	...	Megan / Sophie
Shawn Ashmore	...	Christian
Hilarie Burton	...	Alicia
Amanda Seyfried	...	Zoe
Tyler Hoechlin	...	Nick
Matt O'Leary	...	Mark
R. Lee Ermey	...	Leonard
Lisa Arnold	...	Mrs. Thomas
Lyle Brocato	...	Partier
David Dahlgren	...	Mr. Thomas
Jenna Hildebrand	...	Malin (as Jenna Lynn Hildebrand)
Mark Krasnoff	...	Cop

Storyline

Six months after the suicide of her twin sister Sofie, Megan still grieves her death and misses her beloved sister. In the Saint John's Eve, Megan travels with her friends Christian, Zoe, Mark and Alicia to her family's house in Nowell Lake, Louisiana, to celebrate the summer solstice. While shopping supplies in a local store, Megan befriends the seller Nick and buys a magazine with an article about communication with the dead in the summer solstice, the time of year when there is the greatest length of daylight. While in her house, Megan is haunted by a spirit that she believes is Sofie trying to communicate with her. In her investigation, she suspects of the weird hick Leonard and while snooping in his house, she finds the picture of the missing girl Malin and unravels a dark secret about the suicide of her sister.

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Plot Keywords:

suicide | twin sister | solstice | lake | friend | 

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Taglines:

You can't bury the truth.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violent content, disturbing images, language, teen drinking and some thematic material

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 January 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Miedo al amanecer

Filming Locations:

Husser, Louisiana, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Endgame Entertainment, Solstice Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shot in twenty-five days.

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Connections

Remake of Midsummer (2003)

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Soundtracks

"On The Outside"
Performed by Saint Low
Written by Mary Lorson
Courtesy of LoveCat Music
Published by Big Tiger Music (BMI)

User Reviews

Whilst it's a good film, it's one of the tamest "horror" movies I have seen in a long, long time...

I've just finished watching an early release of Solstice, and I have mixed feelings towards the film overall. I have been awaiting the movie for a while, and whilst I am thankful the overall movie is actually good - I can't help but feel disappointed at the same time. Perhaps I went in expecting a horror film? Because that is not what I got while watching Solstice. Solstice is one of the tamest horror films I have seen in a long, long time as a huge horror fan, and even "The Messengers" has more violence than this. That's saying something.

The movie tells the story about Megan (Elisabeth Harnois) who heads away with her friends for the weekend after the suicide of her twin sister. However, Megan begins to receive disturbances which she believes to be caused by her deceased twin and sets out to uncover the truth. I like the plot, it's interesting and one of the reasons I watched the film.

I'll start with the positives here, as this is a good film. The movie has a great range of actors who all deliver great performances. I was particularly impressed with Hilarie Burton, as she had a great, bitchy character to work with. R. Lee Ermey also has a cameo role, and while it could have been expanded - he is good, as expected. The movie also starts off pretty strong and the characters are likable, and the plot is interesting to watch. The only other movie released recently about female twins was "I Know Who Killed Me", so I had to see what Solstice had to offer.

However, Solstice advertises itself as a horror movie, but quite frankly - it really isn't. Just because it has a plot involving a ghost doesn't mean it is a horror film, as this movie does not feel like a horror film apart from very few drops of blood and a few shots of a ghost. There is minimal violence in the film and minimal blood and gore, but I expected this because of the films rating. If you thought The Messengers, The Fog remake and many others were tame...wait until you see this! I mean, there was hardly any suspense or tension either. I hardly call a cars headlights going on and off suspenseful, do you? Maybe once - yes, but when they use these kind of things dozens of times in a row in this movie...it's like a "wtf" moment. This is probably when you'll realize that this is the most "horror" this movie has to offer...yet again, headlights turning on and off isn't exactly scary is it?!

I just think Solstice ultimately suffered in the horror department. This is still supposed to be a horror movie, and it still needed the suspense, violence and more. It had literally nothing apart from a few ghostly images and a bit of violence near the end...and thats what disappointed me the most. I wouldn't classify this as a horror movie because it just doesn't feel like one. Even when the supposed "horror" comes, it takes a while and it's just really the lead female character being creeped out over and over again by cars, cuddly toys and nightmares. It more-or-less feels like a teen drama like "The OC" with some kind of "Halloween Special", or maybe even a Goosebumps episode. It's a good movie, but it needed more horror! a lot more actually!

6/10