Despite some of the incredibly cheesy lines in Desperate Souls, there’s something oddly endearing about the film, which looks like it was shot on quite the micro budget. Most of us can relate to wanting a soulmate and needing connection. Despite the horror elements, and there are some cool ones, this feature really works as a decent drama about two lost souls that hit it off under unlikely circumstances.

Written and directed by Steve Hermann, the feature stars Joe Rosing as Devin, a depressed dude who has a hard time making connections in a world that’s constantly plugged into social media and isolated. Starring opposite Rosing is Angel Nichole Bradford as Moira, a sympathetic villain, more specifically a succubus. Like Devin, all Moira really wants is someone to call her own. However, until she meets him, she spends her time feeding off of lonely men. In fact, the very opening scene shows her feasting on a sulky fellow lying in bed. It’s a cool opening sequence that introduces the horror elements, many of which ramp up by the film’s second half. It also shows the duality of Moira’s character. She can appear sweet and understanding and then suck the life from a guy a second later.

What Desperate Souls does really well is establish its characters. The film spends a lot of time with Moira and Devin, and it works all the better because of that. There are a few scenes between Devin and his therapist, Rachel (Sarah Dolan). Because of this, we come to understand the extent of Devin’s desperation. We eventually get a pretty fleshed out backstory regarding Moira, too, which, in turn, gives her character heft and weight, making her far more than a one-note monster that sucks the life from men. She’s monstrous yes, but there’s a lot of humanity to her and a gripping backstory.

What especially anchors the film is the relationship between Devin and Moira. Their interactions, though sometimes corny, are also cute. However, things turn quite deadly when Moira’s jealousy grows and she sets out to kill nearly every lady in Devin’s life, which mostly includes women from a local dive bar he frequents to commiserate with others. This film didn’t have the budget for major special effects, but that doesn’t mean it lacks a few pretty decent-looking kills once Moira’s jealousy worsens and her rage ensues. No one is going to touch her man, let alone talk to him, really!

The feature also contains an interesting dream-like quality through its first half, which makes sense, considering Moira is a succubus. The second half is more reality-based, especially the scenes in the dive-bar. Yet, the blend of fantasy with realism works. It never feels off-putting or jolting when those transitions happen.

What Desperate Souls may lack in terms of a bigger budget for effects, it more than makes up for in terms of story and character development. This is a well-paced film about two unlikely characters that somehow hit it off. In that regard, I suspect viewers will relate to both the plot and the plight of two lonely characters craving a partner.

6.5 out of 10