| “ | You can't kill a man who's already dead. | ” |
| - Soultaker |
- For the episode, see MST3K 1001 - Soultaker.
Soultaker is a 1990 supernatural thriller directed by Michael Rissi.
Plot[]
In a hospital, the mysterious Soultaker arrives take the soul of an elderly man. The next day, a rich teen-aged girl named Natalie McMillan and her friend Karen get ready to go to Summerfest. In another part of town, a teenaged boy named Brad picks up Natalie's former boyfriend Zack. Zack tells Brad that he wants to see Natalie again, but Brad tells him that he can never win a girl like Natalie again without money.
"Hm, "story by" so there will be a story, that's encouraging."
Brad and Zach pick up their friend Tommy and go to Summerfest. There, the Angel of Death tells Soultaker to kill Brad, Tommy, Zack, Natalie, and Brad's girlfriend Candice at 8:00. During Summerfest, Karen goes off with her boyfriend John, leaving Natalie behind. Zack notices Natalie alone, and they reconcile. Zack offers to take Natalie home and Natalie agrees. The five teenagers take Brad's car and leave Summerfest. Brad is high on cocaine and speed down the road when the Soultaker steps in front of the car. Brad swerves and crashes into a tree.
After the crash, Natalie, Brad, Zack, and Tommy find themselves away from the car unharmed. The four realize that Candice is missing. The Soultaker is at the crash site where everyone has been critically injured. Soultaker takes Candice's soul. When Soultaker tries to get Brad's soul, he discovers that Candice's soul was still in her body but every one else's souls flew out. The Soultaker delivers the soul to the Angel of Death and explains that the others were displaced from their bodies somehow. The Angel of Death tells Soultaker to hunt down the other souls before midnight, and he must abide by the rules of time and space.
The police and an ambulance arrive at the site of the crash. The ambulance takes the bodies and the police search the car. The police finds the cocaine that Brad had hidden. The displaced souls return to the crash site after the police and the ambulance have gone. All of the souls realize that Candice had died in the crash.
"Man, that guys got a small face."
The Soultaker reveals himself, materializing from within the car, and claims Brad's soul. The others flee and find a convenience store where they try to tell the cashier that someone is trying to kill them, but the cashier does not notice their presence. Assuming the man is ignoring them, they leave the store. The Soultaker appears and attempts to claim Natalie's soul, but her resemblance to his past love causes him to hesitate. Zack rescues Natalie and they both flee, leaving Tommy behind. Tommy runs back to the store, and pleads for help from the cashier, to no avail. Tommy attempts to gain his attention by breaking a soda bottle, but this only confuses the cashier. The Soultaker is about to claim Tommy, when the Angel of Death appears to collect Brad's soul, and to reprimand his subordinate for failing to take Natalie when he had the chance. After delivering Brad's soul, the Soultaker enters the store and claims Tommy's soul.
Natalie and Zack flee to Natalie's house, pursued by the Soultaker. Natalie's mother Anna opens the door, and Zack and Natalie tell her about the Soultaker. Anna tells them that they will be safe inside. She runs a bath for Natalie, to help her relax.
After Anna goes upstairs, Natalie apologizes to Zack for the loss of his friend. Zack apologizes about the cocaine in the car. Natalie goes upstairs, where she and Anna talks about Natalie's relationship with Zack. Natalie goes to lie down, then she falls asleep and dreams about being taken to the hospital.
Downstairs, Zack discovers that the McMillans' family dog Charlie can sense his presence but cannot see him.
"Oh, someone running through a hospital, this is new"
Natalie gets ready to bathe, and her mother surreptitiously watches her undress. A TV news show reports about the car crash. A reporter interviewing Natalie's father Grant, and it is revealed that the families of the crash victims have decided to remove them from life support at midnight. Zack sees on the news that Anna is at the hospital.
Natalie discovers her mother watching her, and is disgusted. She is horrified when her mother suddenly transforms into the Man that has been pursuing them. Instead of attacking her, The Soultaker attempts to make a pact with Natalie, offering her eternal life if she will agree to stay by his side forever. Zack arrives and attempts to attack the Soultaker, but is easily overpowered. Natalie gets her father's shotgun and shoots the Soultaker. The Soultaker reveals his nature, explaining that she "can't kill a man that is already dead."
Natalie and Zach manage to escape and flee to the hospital to return to their bodies before their life support systems are shut off. In the hospital, Natalie is captured by the Soultaker on an elevator which leads to the afterlife. The Soultaker claims that he is an angel and it is his duty to collect the souls of the dying. He manages to convince Natalie that there is nothing left for her in living realm, and that Zack is already dead, but she can be saved if she stays with him.
"You're dead, Nancy Kerrigan."
While searching for Natalie, Zack encounters Brad, who has become a grim reaper. Brad reveals that those who take a life (even accidentally) must pay for it through service as a grim reaper. Brad gives Zach two empty soul rings to help Zach and Natalie into their bodies, and aids him in rescuing Natalie from the Soultaker. Natalie places herself in the ring over her body, which remains comatose.
Zach discovers that a pendant Natalie was wearing somehow acted as a barrier between her soul and her body. He pulls her soul from her body and is about to attempt to return it when the Soultaker appears. The Soultaker chases Zack to the roof of the hospital and corners him. Zach remembers that he is a soul that is no longer bound by death or pain, and escapes by leaping off the roof. The Soultaker is about to give chase, but is confronted by the Angel of Death once again. The Angel of Death informs him that it is past midnight and that the Soultaker has failed. If Zach and Natalie die now, their souls would be lost forever. The Soultaker pleas with the Angel, promising that he can correct these errors, but he is collected into a soul ring by his master. Zach manages to return to his own body, then returns Natalie's soul to her body as well, bringing her back to life.
Later, Zack visits Natalie in the hospital on the day of her release. Zack is greeted happily by Natalie's parents, whose disapproval of Zach has abated. Zach and Natalie go outside to see that Zack fixed up his old car. The two kiss and drive off together.
Cast[]
- Joe Estevez as The Man / Soultaker
- Vivian Schilling as Natalie McMillan
- Gregg Thomsen as Zach Taylor
- David 'Shark' Fralick as Brad Deville
- Robert Z'Dar as Angel of Death
- Chuck Williams as Tommy Marcetto
- Jean Reiner as Anna McMillan
- Gary Kohler as Sgt. Haggerty
Notes[]
- The P.A. announcements in the opening scene are also used in Queensrÿche's album Operation: Mindcrime and in Naughty By Nature's song "Everything's Gonna Be Alright".
- Gregg Thomsen plays Zach Taylor. Zachary Taylor was the name of the twelfth President of the United States. A character with the same name appears in the action film MegaForce, which became a RiffTrax presentation.
- Won a Saturn Award in 1992 for Best Genre Video Release.
- Released in theaters in Finland in 1993.
- A sequel was reportedly planned, but never materialized.
MST3K Connections[]
- Joe Estevez also portrayed Joel in Werewolf.
- Robert Z'Dar also portrayed the Cyborg Master in Future War.
- Visual effects technician Jerry Kitz also did visual effects for Space Mutiny.