I've watched 6 Souls a few years back, before starting my project of documenting, rating and reviewing a list of Horror films. I can summarize this review for you TL;DR lazies by saying - wow, I'm so glad I've watched it again, stop reading and go watch it now.
The story, plot and script, while original and innovative just the way they should be, are far from being perfect, but even as the shortcomings of this great film they deserve more than the rate this film currently has here on IMDb (6.1? An atrocity, a travesty of justice, and pretty much BS). The film starts up and builds up as an Insanity Horror-Psycho Thriller flick, dealing with Multiple Personality Disorder (or lack thereof). Only towards the second half does the film expose its supernatural motive, as was shown in its trailers. The only other Horror film I recall using this rather cheap and redundant "deception tactic" is Insidious, and in my book comparing any film to insidious is a huge complement for it. The problem with 6 Souls is that the start up and build up lead us to a very disappointing (in my opinion) "highlight point", and since the turning point it's nothing but plot holes and lack of logic... Without these, the end would have been far less anticlimactic, and would have spared this film the Curse of Anticlimactic Endings, which has been ravaging the Horror genre for the last decade or so.
Having said that, I have nothing but praises for this film to add. In regards to the acting - main actress Julian Moore is excellent, and has received a much better film to star in after the disappointing Forgotten. However, the Oscar definitely goes to the exquisite, profound and awe-strikingly amazing Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Throughout the film, Meyers plays no less than 4 different characters, and gives each a different body language, voice intonation, facial expressions and acting personality. His role, even if nothing else, makes this film worth watching (and as far as other Horror actors are concerned - watching and learning!). In addition, the character of Granny (more than Joyce Feurring's acting, though not half bad) involves some remarkable ideas!
All in all - the frame story, the acting and some of the ideas presented in the script are no less than exquisite, and definitely compensate for the average (and below) plot and ending. Definitely worth watching, definitely worth more than 6...
The story, plot and script, while original and innovative just the way they should be, are far from being perfect, but even as the shortcomings of this great film they deserve more than the rate this film currently has here on IMDb (6.1? An atrocity, a travesty of justice, and pretty much BS). The film starts up and builds up as an Insanity Horror-Psycho Thriller flick, dealing with Multiple Personality Disorder (or lack thereof). Only towards the second half does the film expose its supernatural motive, as was shown in its trailers. The only other Horror film I recall using this rather cheap and redundant "deception tactic" is Insidious, and in my book comparing any film to insidious is a huge complement for it. The problem with 6 Souls is that the start up and build up lead us to a very disappointing (in my opinion) "highlight point", and since the turning point it's nothing but plot holes and lack of logic... Without these, the end would have been far less anticlimactic, and would have spared this film the Curse of Anticlimactic Endings, which has been ravaging the Horror genre for the last decade or so.
Having said that, I have nothing but praises for this film to add. In regards to the acting - main actress Julian Moore is excellent, and has received a much better film to star in after the disappointing Forgotten. However, the Oscar definitely goes to the exquisite, profound and awe-strikingly amazing Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Throughout the film, Meyers plays no less than 4 different characters, and gives each a different body language, voice intonation, facial expressions and acting personality. His role, even if nothing else, makes this film worth watching (and as far as other Horror actors are concerned - watching and learning!). In addition, the character of Granny (more than Joyce Feurring's acting, though not half bad) involves some remarkable ideas!
All in all - the frame story, the acting and some of the ideas presented in the script are no less than exquisite, and definitely compensate for the average (and below) plot and ending. Definitely worth watching, definitely worth more than 6...