THE LOST(2008).
© Anchor Bay Entertainment
Title: The Lost
Rating: Unrated
Starring: Marc Senter, Michael Bowen, Robin Sydney, Ed Lauter, Megan Henning, Erin Brown, Alex Frost, Shay Astar
Written By: Jack Ketchum (novel), Chris Sivertson (screenplay)
Directed By: Chris Sivertson
Distributor: Anchor Bay Entertainment
Original Year of Release: 2008
Extras: Audio commentary with novelists Jack Ketchum and Monica O'Rourke. Audition Footage. Outtakes. Storyboard Sequence. Trailer
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THE LOST
By: Robert T. TrateDate: Friday, March 14, 2008
Many horror films have been released that deal with a man who stalks unsuspecting women while they are camping. More often than not these men gain a supernatural quality strung out over multiple list of lack luster sequels. They rarely have any kind of impact after their initial release because their killer goes from deranged guy in a hockey mask to supernatural undead anti-hero. In essence they become a punch line. The Lost is far from a punch line and lacks a supernatural undead hero. It deals with the scariest monster of all: man.
The man in question is Ray Pye (Marc Senter) a sociopath twenty-something bent on the thrill of doing what attracts him the most. In the beginning of The Lost, Ray comes across two young girls camping. Enticing his two friends Tim (Alex Frost) and Jennifer (Shay Astar) to spy on them they witness a heart felt moment between the girls. Ray, believing that they are lesbians, grabs his rifle and shoots them both. Sending Tim and Jennifer to get shovels Ray watches over the bodies. Sitting there rooting through their things he makes himself at home and starts eating their food. No remorse, no regrets, just a regular day for Ray Pye. Marc Senter’s performance of indifference is played out perfectly as he sits there eating hot dogs and potato chips. Unfortunately for Senter the depth of Ray Pye’s character will never get any deeper than this. All is going as planned until Ray notices that one of the girls, Elise (Ruby Larocca), has gotten up and run off. In pursuit Ray chases her to the highway where she is then hit by a car. Ray, like a bratty child screams in defiance. Then the camera fades to black.
Four Years later we see Detective Charlie Schilling (Michael Bowen) and Lieutenant Ed Anderson (Ed Lauter) sit down in a bar to drink away the guilt they have over not solving Elise’s case. She spent four years on life support and her attempted murder and her friend’s murder were never solved. Both police officers know that it was Ray Pye but they were never able to prove it. Bowen and Lauter play the scene extremely well for being fourth tier actors. Their angst and regret shine through the disgust they have for Ray Pye. However the film is not about these two Police officers finding justice or acquiring justice at their own hands. No, it is all about Ray Pye.
The Lost takes an interesting twist and follows the further exploits of Ray Pye. Ray Pye is a more proactive version of the modern day Norman Bates. He is a hotel manager by day and sexual predator at night, leaving the confines of his job to seek out women he finds attractive. Ray has numerous women in his life that all find him attractive. For Ray though it is about the women he has yet to conquer.
Sally (Megan Henning), the hotel’s new maid, is completely uninterested in Ray. She is blatant in her disapproval of him. What is interesting about her character is that she is dating Lieutenant Ed Anderson. A man 40 years her senior. However, her character, much like Ed’s, pops up here and there leaving a loose end in the film, one that will eventually be tied up later.
Katherine (Robin Sydney) represents a true conquest to Ray Pye. Being a beautiful, dark and bad girl Ray and Katherine get along perfectly. The majority of the film is their relationship with only brief encounters and updates on the rest of the characters. Katherine is the one that breaks it off with Ray. Before that happens she learns of Ray’s brutal darkest secret: the shooting of those girls. The majority of Sydney’s performance is extremely dull, allowing Senter’s Pye to really stand out, making him even more annoying. Sydney does deliver a great small moment at the end of the film towards Sally yet it seemed almost out of character.
The film meanders at times with long drawn out sub plots. They eventually pay off. At times the question of where is this going was asked all too often. The film could have been told from numerous perspectives but writer/ director Chris Sivertson chose the more glamorous one of bare skin and cheap violent thrills; which more often than not became dull.
The film ends with a violent horrific showdown between all the characters involved. It took a long time to get there and by that point it barely felt worth it. Ray Pye lacked little in imagination as a character however what was truly horrific about him was that there are men like him in the world. The Lost isn’t really anything you haven’t seen before and all too often see the end result of on the nightly news.
