This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

A young woman who survives a plane crash is hunted by nightmares and dead people, coming to collect her. A decent, typical 80s horror film, to enjoy on a lonely friday/saturday night.

"Sole Survivor" is a horror movie which opens with a palpable sense of dread and some effective moments but squanders them all in a final act which reveals it has no idea what to do with the points it's earnt.The plot is about a plain looking woman who is the titular "sole survivor" of an airplane crash. She appears to suffer hallucinations of those who died in the crash following her around.But are they hallucinations or are they... REAL?! You probably won't care. I know I didn't.The spectres of the deceased, who look like extras wandered over from whatever zombie movie George Romero was shooting that year, are at first spooky but soon become boring since they mostly just stand there. The movie doesn't really develop the idea it starts with, until a rushed conclusion at the end which is entirely unsatisfying.

Perky young TV commercial producer Denise Watson (a fine and sympathetic performance by the fetching Anita Skinner) is the sole survivor of a terrible plane crash. Denise soon finds herself being stalked by the malevolent spirits of recently deceased people. However, she can't convince anyone else that something is seriously amiss. Writer/director Thom Eberhardt (who later gave us the delightful "Night of the Comet") relates the compelling story at a deliberate pace, does an expert job of creating and maintaining an arrestingly uncanny and ambiguous "Twilight Zone"-style atmosphere, effectively grounds the fantastic premise in a credibly rendered everyday mundane reality, and delivers a fair share of flesh-crawling moments (the sequence with Denise alive amidst the mangled dead bodies of victims of the airplane wreckage is truly grim and disturbing stuff). Moreover, the smart script puts an intriguing spin on a psychological condition known as "Survivor's Syndrome," in which folks who manage to be the only survivor of a horrific incident often wind up dying 24 months after said incident occurs. The sound acting from a capable and appealing cast rates as another major plus: Kurt Johnson as helpful, likable physician Dr. Brian Richardson, Robin Davidson as Denise's spunky best gal pal Kristy, Caren Lackey as neurotic psychic actress Karla Davis, and William Snare as cynical, puzzled coroner Artie. The ever-foxy Brinke Stevens contributes a neat cameo as a sexy lass who removes her top during a game of strip poker. David F. Anthony's supremely eerie and shivery score further enhances the unnerving creepy mood. Russell Carpenter's polished cinematography likewise does the trick. The nightmarish last third is genuinely harrowing. A nifty and most worthwhile fright feature sleeper.

Sole Survivor features a plot that begins a lot like James Herbert's classic book 'The Survivor', and turns into something much more like the modern thriller 'Final Destination'. The idea behind the film is always going to be interesting, as death is the ultimate unknown and stories about the other-worldly forces that govern the afterlife are always bound to be intriguing; but due to this film's low budget and generally slow plot, what could have been a great thriller is left only as an interesting attempt at a good thriller. There were a lot of low budget horror films made during the eighties, many of which are now classics - but this film feels more like a seventies movie, and that's not a good thing as the paltry acting and low quality feel don't bode well with the ambitious plot line. The story follows a woman that is the only survivor of a plane crash. She is haunted by a feeling that her doctor describes as 'sole survivor syndrome', but it turns out that she actually should have died in the crash; and the powers that be have sent their minions to get rid of her.The film gets off to a strong start, and writer-director Thom Eberhardt seems keen to explore all the implications of the central idea. However, it soon goes downhill as the film never really gets going, and most of the ideas don't end up being fully explored, which is a shame. The film does benefit from a continually creepy atmosphere, which bodes well with the central plot in that it makes the finished piece more horrifying. It's always obvious that the film has been made on a shoestring, however, and the director never really makes any attempt to mask this, which is disappointing. The acting isn't exactly brilliant, but it's one of the better things about the piece, and Anita Skinner does well at heading a cast of other unknowns. Eberhardt's script is good in that it manages to give credence to its characters as well, which ends up making the film more credible as we are given a reason to care about the plight of the lead character. Overall, Sole Survivor isn't essentially a 'bad' film; but it is extremely disappointing in that it could have been a lot better.