Lost Souls

December 11, 2004

Rated: R Runtime: 97 min Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The ads for this movie try to sell it as The Exorcist for the new millennium. That’s a mistake in my opinion as it sets a lofty goal that is impossible to reach as The Exorcist was something new at the time of it’s release, something that no one had dared do in a major theatrical release. And indeed this movie doesn’t come close to being a modern day classic. Instead it is just another in the recent line of demonic good versus evil movies that have included such efforts as Stigmata and End of Days.

Lost Souls

Lost Souls stars Wynona Ryder as Maya Larkin. As a youngster, Maya had her own bout with possession, but she now works with the Catholic church helping keep that pesky devil in check. But the time of the birth of the antichrist is near, and it’s up to her and her friends to prevent Satan from taking over the earth. You’ll definitely find elements of just about every movie you’ve ever seen about demonic possession mixed in here.

Let’s talk for a moment about Wynona. She has intrigued us with her short haired gothic waif kinda thing she has had going ever since we saw her in Beetlejuice back in the 80’s. I almost didn’t recognize her initially in this movie as she had long hair and a bit of a normal look as she approaches 30 years old. We like it, but it’s not the image of her we’re accustomed to. And unfortunately as usual we do not get to see much of her flesh.

Although we would’ve like it alot better had Ms. Ryder been naked, this film does stand out from the recent pack of satanic possession flicks in a few ways. First off, it is very well done, the cinematography is excellent. The director does an excellent job of setting the mood and suspense when needed. And it has one of the best “make you jump” scenes that I have ever seen. It’s very rare that a movie startles me and makes me jump, but this one did. The effect on the less jaded members of the audience was much more profound. Many females literally screamed, I haven’t seen that in a theater in a long time. And only them and whoever does their laundry will know just how much it really did scare them.

Lost Souls isn’t a modern day classic no matter what their commercials say. Unfortunately it moves a little slow, do not be surprised to catch yourself looking at your watch halfway through it. But it is however better than most of the recent efforts at this genre, and it is well made, so it squeaks by with 3 stars on the Movies for Guys scale.

Posted by Billy Bob | Filed Under 3 Stars, Ben Chaplin, DVD, Elias Koteas, Horror, John Hurt, Philip Baker Hall, R, Winona Ryder