Saturday, October 10, 2009

The Lost [2006]

After recently revisiting two newer Ketchum adaptations - The Girl Next Door (2007) and Red (2008) - I thought I should venture back to the one that started it all - 2006's The Lost. The Lost, not unlike The Girl Next Door, is loosely based on a true story, this one being the case of  Charles Schmid.

Ray Pye is a control driven short tempered drug dealing greaser who "put crushed beer cans into his boots to make himself look taller".  Obediently followed by his two best friends Tim and Jennifer, Ray murders two young women in the woods after self-concluding the two were "lesbos" and didn't deserve to live.  

Fast forward 4 years, the case remains unsolved, and Ray has grown further into a life of control, drugs, and an ever culminating rage just waiting to explode.

Jack Ketchum adaptations are all quite similarly structured.  A slow lead up, an emotionally driven story, familiar world's unravel, and an inevitable point of no return climax of violence and depravity.  Marc Senter is hypnotic to watch and chilling to absorb...a brilliant performance not unlike the efforts of Blythe Auffarth and Brian Cox of The Girl Next Door and Red respectively.  Unrelenting, vicious, sexy, and offensive.

Other dribs and drabs...everyone's favourite softcore turned horror actress Misty Mundae appears butt naked no more than a minute in, a pregnant woman gets the Inside scoop on at-home baby delivery, the soundtrack ranging from 1960's British pop to 90's death metal is fun and terrifying if not masterfully employed, and "what the fuck is she still alive for?!?!  I just shot her!".

9/10

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