When it comes to Indie films, a certain amount of allowance is given when reviewing the overall project. After all, an independent film is not going to have the budget and time to produce the same quality of story as a major Hollywood production. That can only go so far, though. There needs to be a line, and I Heard You Buy Souls toggles very dangerously between forgiveness and criticism when it comes to film review.

One of the biggest problems of the movie is even attempting to find a way to give a brief synopsis of what it’s about. With the title that it has, you’re going to expect something completely horror-filled and creepy. Instead, we’re given a confusing, muddled, mixed up amalgamation of what could have been a solid film, but drowns in its own acid-trip delirium and takes the viewer completely out of the story.

Fallon (played by Director Daniel Christopher McCurry) is unhappy with his life, even though he seemingly has a blessed situation – a good job, a loving wife, and stability. Despite this, he wants “it all” -whatever that means specifically to him, because we never truly understand what that implies to his character. When he hears about the aspect of trading souls through a portal into hell to have a better life, is when (you guessed it) things go awry.

At first, the arrangement seems great. Fallon has access to cash, and is able to live the good life. But, as with most things – it’s too good to be true, and the repercussions of his decisions play out as the movie unfolds.

While this may all sound interesting in concept, the editing is so incredibly disjointed and mercurial (and not in the necessary horror ways), that it’s very difficult to follow along as a viewer. Each scene seems separate from the one before, and feels as though you’re watching several amateur short films or music videos back to back that have no relation to one another.

The concept itself is smart, and so much could have been built upon this. Unfortunately, it’s as though several scenes were filmed involving different subjects, placed in a hat, shook up, then splayed out and accepted as the proper order of a movie. The problem lies with the fact that a creator can have an incredibly well thought out concept, but fail in delivering that to the audience so that they can see inside their mind. The vast majority are going to spend most of the time trying to understand what the heck is going on, let alone relate to the characters.

It’s unusual where editing and dialogue are a movie’s main Achille’s heel, but this is the case with I Heard You Buy Souls. With a proper script edit, better direction to the actors, and a more linear storyline, there could be something here.