By: Valerie Milano
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 9/10/2024 – In a world that is increasingly becoming commodified, the notion that one’s soul could be worth big money is not so far-fetched as you might imagine.
We monetize our time, our talents and our ideas, so it’s not such a big leap to think someone could make a living stealing souls and trading them on the black market. Fueled by the world’s elites could this become a reality? This is the premise of “The Soul Trader,” a new supernatural thriller from director/producer Susan Dynner and her production company Aberration Films.
“The Soul Trader” follows the story of Coral Chase (Shauna Grace), an occult hitwoman who has the power to steal life-extending souls. She then sells them to vain, wealthy elites clinging to the crumbs of youth like Erica Claessen (Donna Mills). With her stoic bodyguard Damien (Shane West) in tow, Claessen makes a deal for a freshly stolen soul, with Chase who is oblivious to Damien’s designs on her business as a trader.
Damien ultimately emerges from the shadows as Chase is about to conduct a hit with high-dollar potential at a target’s home, and Coral suddenly realizes she’s not the only one with murder in mind. This film brings a new paradigm of a complex hero – a devoted single mom, trying to make ends meet for herself and her 10-year-old son, who is a cold contract killer with occult powers.
In an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Times, Grace, who is also the film’s executive producer, said it is her character’s complexity that drew her to the role.
Click below for our exclusive interview:
“Female roles in Hollywood can be one layer deep, one aspect, where in reality, we all have many different aspects to ourselves,” Grace said. “The idea of a woman doing some things that are not the greatest, in service to her family, for her son … how many people do we know who have struggled and have gone to places thy never thought they would, but it’s for the benefit or protection of their families? Sometimes that is something, unfortunately, in some cases, is the reality of living.”
Such behaviors are not always viewed through a sympathetic lens, but Grace pointed out that including that hard edge to her character added a dimension that often is blurred in other roles. Producer/director Dynner, who joined Grace for the interview, said since this short is a ‘proof-of-concept’ film – meaning a longer treatment is being considered – having the latitude for the character is a big plus.
“We plan to do either a feature or a series of this, in which case there will be a lot more to explore,” Dynner said. “There is a whole history and lore behind this character. We come to find out why she does what she does.”
“She doesn’t have a choice. It’s like a vampire – they either have to suck someone’s blood or they die, and in her case, she either has to steal souls or she will die. So, she is doing the best that she can in this situation for her son.”
“The Soul Trader” was written by Mike Underwood and is co-produced by Lauren Bancroft. Mathias Schubert is the cinematographer and Jeff Russo provides the score for the 12-minute film, which currently is making the festival rounds and will be screened next at the Calabasas Film Festival on Sept. 21st.
The film, an official selection for the D.C. Shorts International Film Festival was named Best Thriller at the 2024 Rock the Shorts Film Festival and Best Supernatural Thriller at the 2024 Manhattan Film Festival. For more information, check out the film’s website.
