Customer Reviews

The Lost

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Derived from some shocking homicides during the 60's, The Lost is an abrasive character study of a sociopath who committed some terrifying random acts of violence.
Meet Ray, a young man lost in his own warped world of frustration and insecurities. He hangs out with younger kids that will look up to him. Ray buys them beer, boasts about his sexual conquests, even stuffs objects in his boots to make himself look taller. But in actuality, he's a frail, pitiful loser harnessing some pent up rage. And when it explodes, look out.
The acting in this movie is adequate, but it's the horrendous acts themselves that keep you riveted. Plus there is plenty of nudity as it also explores a dark realm of unabated sexuality. It all culminates into an utterly vicious and frightening climax that will make you feel helpless and vulnerable right along with the victims.
Not recommended to the faint of heart. A must-see if you enjoyed the horror film The Girl Next Door.

I read the novel several months ago, and let this DVD sit around my house looking for the opportune time to watch it. When the kids were finally away for a little while I popped it in, and have to say... I was a bit disappointed. The short summary of the story for those who have not read the book: Ray Pye is a slightly off kilter young man in his early 20's who on a random whim kills two young women while camping. Now 4 years later the police know it was him but can not prove it. Ray's two friends who know about the killings are slowly destroying themselves with drugs and alcohol, but their obsession with the murderous Pye is as strong as ever. When the rejection of several women in town finally sets Ray off, he begins a murderous rampage.

The Good:
-The violence is all there, brutal and on screen.

-All of the sex is there almost to the point of soft core porn. Ray is apparently quite the ladies man.

-In respect to events, this film sticks very closely to the book.

The Bad:
-The time frame is gone, the book takes place in 1969... this is easy to tell because they follow the Sharon Tate case through the book. In the film, some of the people are dressed from the 90's, some from the 60's, Ray looks like a combination of a 50's greaser and an 80's punk with too much eyeliner. The Sharon Tate information seems to be out of kilter because there is no sense of time other than that reference.

-Ray Pye's Mole and Makeup are distracting to the viewer, with him being the only male in the film wearing eyeliner, and that ridiculously huge mole that seems to have been played up... you're eyes tend to focus on the mole and miss the rest of the film.

-The music is all over the ballpark, and in many cases the death-metal sounding music both detracts from what you are watching, and also makes the dialogue difficult to hear.

-The Dialogue on the DVD is at times very loud and at other times, impossible to make out. I am not sure if it's that the actors were mumbling or just too far from the mics but large parts of the conversations were completely unintelligible. This specifically occurs when Ray is threatening people and leans down to hiss at them in their face.

-The relationships that were so crucial in the book are completely left out in the movie; Tim is simply a body with no motive, feeling or relationship with any of the other characters. The relationship between the retired cop and the way too young for him Sally is almost confusing because so little is shown. Catharine comes across as a completely different character than in the book, her power and intrigue never come across properly.

-Many people will get upset with me for this... I did not like the way Ray Pye was portrayed... specifically at the ending... I found him to be way over the top and he ended up coming across as more of a spastic showoff rather than a truly emotionally disturbed individual. I never really bought that the character that he portrayed was capable of what he did.

In summation - This was an okay movie. I have heard people compare it to "Silence of the Lambs" and let me tell you right now, they are WAY OFF. There is plenty of gore and sex here to keep the young men happy, but the heart behind the story was left out.

Based on the novel by Jack Ketchum.
And it's seriously enjoyable!!
I'm really lovin' these Ketchum novel adaptions.
(ie: The Girl Next Door, Offspring, & Red)
Ray Pye (whose performance was downright amazing)is going down as one of my 3 favorite villians in a horror movie:
(along side Patrick Bateman from "American Psycho"
& Captain Underpants from "Funny Games")
The opening sequence really sets the pace for the rest of the movie,
a nude Erin Brown (one of the most gorgeous women in Hollywood)
and a double homicide,
lead into a failed investigation by local police,
and the deterioration of Rays two reluctant cohorts.
The conclusion is what this movie is all about!!
And it was downright brutal & utterly phenominal!!
A killing spree for the books.
13 onscreen kills in total!!!
13!!
And plenty of nudity,
and of course Mr. Ray Pye.

MORAL OF THE STORY:
Some friends you wanna keep closer than your enemies.

This is a shame because there is something to chew on here and too much of it was left on the table.

It's 1965 in northern New Jersey and Ray Pye kills, for absolutely no real reason, two young girls who are there camping. Pye was with his girlfriend and buddy. Four years later he's still the chief suspect in the case but not enough evidence is available to nail him to the wall. He's a nut job and certain things are starting to happen that are pushing him over the edge. He pops a cork and goes on a killing spree.

Taken from a Jack Ketchum novel, that was based on a real case, this story is about Ray Pye. He has no father and does menial work at the motel his mom owns. He's short but good looking and somewhat (almost Charles Manson-like) charismatic. His closest friends do his bidding unquestioningly. But he's screwed up. This is one of the strengths of the movie. Shay Astor does a decent job as Pye. He's creepy. He's the bomb you're waiting to go off. I wouldn't want to be anywhere near him. He's the only one that is written well. The other characters are Okay but don't amount to much more than sketches.

A previous viewer mentioned how the details, such as the music, didn't fit the time in which this happened. This is a fair criticism. One of the things that made the movie "Zodiac" so good was how well hey depicted the time. There was none of that here. Cars, clothing, hairstyles, etc., were nearly nondescript. This might have been due to budgetary restraints. This is not an expensive movie, which might account for the lousy sound mixing and musical score. The volume levels were all over the place and some of the music included heavy metal which I'm pretty sure wasn't around in 1965. The directing was uneven at best. The ending was terrible. Pye shoots some of his victims and they don't all die at the point the police barge in. The one detective starts wailing on Pye and the movie just stops. What happened? Who lived? Who died? Was Pye killed at the scene? Was he arrested and put on trial? None of this was even noted in a post script.

What a shame. This could have been a good thriller/character study but they fumbled the ball. Not a bad watch, but it could have been much better.

Jack Ketchum's novel from which this film has been adapted (The Lost) was set during the mid to late 1960s. The film version is a little more ambiguous as regards when the story occurs. Modern cars and cordless telephones are much in evidence, but the central character, Ray Pye (Marc Senter), has a definite retro look about him. With his immaculately coiffured hair and discreetly applied make-up, there's something of Alex from `A Clockwork Orange' about him. He believes himself to be the epitome of cool; a party animal that the slightly younger kids are in awe of.

Only two, Jennifer and Tim (Shay Astar and Alex Frost), know that Ray is a cold-blooded murderer. The film opens with his brutal slaying of two young women (Erin Brown and Ruby LaRocca) at a local campsite. It is this event that casts its shadow across the remainder of the story, reaching, years later, into the lives of several of the inhabitants of the town of Sparta.

Although the film is a faithful retelling of the novel in terms of events, there is, I suppose necessarily, something lost in terms of characterization. This is particularly true of Detective Charlie Schilling (Michael Bowen), Ed Anderson (Ed Lauter) and Sally Richmond (Megan Henning). Retired police officer Ed Anderson has recklessly embarked on a love affair with Sally, an eighteen-year-old student. Their relationship is not explored in any depth and Ed's rollercoaster feelings of guilt and elation are nowhere near as prominent in the film as they were in the novel. Similarly, Schilling's obsessive angst at the police's failure to nail Ray Pye for the double murder is not apparent enough.

A slight disappointment, for me, was Robin Sydney's performance as bad-girl wannabee Katherine Wallace. In my opinion, she was miscast in this role. Her dialogue is indistinct in places and her body language is unconvincing in this role of the confident young woman whom Ray Pye falls for. Additionally, the soundtrack music is unnecessarily overbearing at times. Yes, we know horrible things are happening, and we know Ray Pye is a sick and twisted individual, but we don't need skull-pounding noise to remind us of that.

For the most part, however, this is a stylish horror film. Marc Senter is superb as the demented Ray Pye, and aside from the already mentioned reservations, the rest of the cast is excellent. The violence is powerfully depicted and horrifying to behold.

There is an interesting audio commentary from Jack Ketchum which should appeal to his fans as he talks about his various writing projects. The bonus material also gives us a look at Robin Sydney's and Shay Astar's auditions. For those who have read the novel, you may be interested to know that the scene where Ray steals some beer from a convenience store while Katherine, ahem, distracts the clerk is missing from the film. The good news is that it does appear in the deleted scenes.

Any movie that elicits comparisons to Patrick Bateman from American Psycho and some of the severely disturbed characters from Chuck Palahniuk's books is sure to be disturbing. The Lost does not disappoint in this regard.

Ray Pye is a completely insane character study, coming as close as someone can to a young Charles Manson as imaginable. On one hand he's charismatic enough to lure numerous young women into his bed, but on the other hand he's persuasive enough to get others to involve in his criminal activities. Beginning the movie with one of his character flaws - he stuffs crushed cans into his boots to make up for his height deficiencies - is a perfect vehicle to lull the viewer into thinking Ray is weak. In no time at all it becomes readily apparent that he's a sociopath powder keg of anger, inadequacy, and jealousy. After killing two women for no reason other than the experience, the stage is set for Ray and his friends to keep it as a secret while Ray continues his disturbing behavior. The murdering Ray does later as a result of being rejected by a few young women is as senseless as it is jaw-dropping.

The negatives of this movie are numerous. At times it is very difficult to hear important conversations between Ray and others. Aside from Ray, the character development is nearly non-existent. In fact, there are two or three characters that could be taken out of the movie without any change. As for the music, it's distractingly loud. Last but not least, the ending, albeit shocking, feels rushed and lacking. The positives, however, more than compensate.

First and foremost, Marc Senter portrays Ray Pye absolutely brilliantly. He comes off as completely off the charts insane, wildly unpredictable, and the spitting image of Tom Cruise's Maverick character from Top Gun - if Maverick had schizophrenia and was addicted to smack. Brilliant. Other great aspects of this movie are the gore and violence, the explicit sex scenes, the bountiful babes (especially Robin Sydney despite her poor portrayal), and the pure craziness of it all.

I'd recommend this movie for anyone who wants to be shocked by an absolutely bizarre character, or for bizarre horror fans, but otherwise pass.

THE LOST is one of the most insane films I've ever seen! The main character (Marc Senter) is utterly reprehensible, yet hilarious w/ his infantile attitude, and total disregard for human life. His outlook is so utterly selfish, so moronic, that he is a buffoon. Unfortunately, he's also a homicidal maniac who simply must have whatever he desires, or else. Unlike THE GIRL NEXT DOOR, THE LOST is less serious, more of a building storm of lunacy w/ a finale that can only be called head-splinteringly ferocious! It's sort of like the film-makers said, "OK, what can we cram together, cover in blood, and tear apart for the ending?" If you want a zany, demented viewing experience, you can't go wrong here!...

I saw this movie at a screening in L.A. and I was blown away. It is gripping and super intense. The directing and acting is amazing - you will get so involved in the characters - Marc Senter is amazing as Ray Pye. A must see!

Despite a scene or two that could have been trimmed down - or even excised - this has to be one of the best adaptations of a book I've ever seen. Marc Senter's portrayal of Ray Pye is damn near a miracle...if you've read the book, you'll know what I mean. On it's own merits even, it's an amazing performance. Loved the book, loved the movie.

Setting- 1960's. Vietnam Era. Based on a true story.

The movie starts out on a campground with a trio of friends. One girl, 2 guys. The 2 guys, "Ray and Tim", end up spotting a couple of girls camping nearby and Ray decides it would be fun to kill them. The plan dosen't go as well as the guy thinks and things end up taking a turn for the worst. After this, Ray ends up dragging his friends into the scheme and they unwittingly become accomplices to murder.

Fast forward 4 years. It's now 1969 and the police are trying to find out who killed the camper. The plot interchanges between the cops searching and trying to pin Ray for murder and the audience getting to see how Ray lives his life and it's not pretty.

As the movie goes on you see how crazy Ray Pye is. He abuses everyone around him, he parties too hard and he even ends up killing his own mom. You also get to see Ray and his numerous relationships going on and the people he associates with.

The middle is drawn out and somewhat boring. It consists of Ray hanging out with his friends, doing drugs and having sex. By the time the ending comes you are a bit tired of it and hope the ending is even more dramatic and it dosen't disapoint as far as that goes.

At the end Ray end's up having a meltdown and everyone suffers for it. The ending was a bit of a let down. Though filled with drama, the conclusion ends very abruptly and you don't even know if the killer lives or dies.

So we have a great beginning and a good yet disapointing ending and then about an hour and a half filled with not much of anything other than investigations and Ray abusing people.

Despite not being completely satisfied, I still found this movie to be decent enough. It's a very intense and graphic film. There's a dark vibe throughout the movie and Ray is a scary guy. If you're looking for a decent thrill killing movie, this is for you.