Lost Souls (2000)

A Catholic teacher meets an atheist journalist, whom a group of Catholics and priests believes has been chosen by the devil himself to be the Antichrist.

Director:

Janusz Kaminski

Writers:

Pierce Gardner (story), Betsy Stahl (story)

Stars:

Winona Ryder, Ben Chaplin, Sarah Wynter

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Winona Ryder	...	Maya Larkin
Ben Chaplin	...	Peter Kelson
Sarah Wynter	...	Claire Van Owen
Philip Baker Hall	...	Father James
John Hurt	...	Father Lareaux
Elias Koteas	...	John Townsend
Brian Reddy	...	Father Frank
John Beasley	...	Mike Smythe
John Diehl	...	Henry Birdson
Paul Kleiman	...	Paramedic
Bob Clendenin	...	Mental Patient (as Robert Clenendin)
Oliver Clark	...	Mr. Silberman
Michael Mantell	...	Kleiman
Brad Greenquist	...	George Viznik
Ming Lo	...	Michael Kim

Storyline

A group of Catholics go to a mental institution to perform exorcism in the murderer George Viznik. Father Lareaux, Deacon John Townsend, Father Frank Pageand the teacher Maya Larkin, who was possessed and exorcised in the past, unsuccessfully try to exorcise the man and Father Lareaux is deeply affected and falls into a coma. Maya brings the Viznik's coded writings and after deciphering it, she concludes that the writer Peter Kelson might be the Antichrist to be incarnated by Satan. She seeks him out but the atheist Peter, who has been raised by his uncle Father James, does not believe in her. But when strange things happen to him, Peter meets Maya and they investigate together the chance to save his soul.

---

Plot Keywords:

priest | mental institution | antichrist | exorcism | devil worship | 

---

Taglines:

They've had their 2000 years. Now it's our turn.

---

Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence/terror and some language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 October 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Almas perdidas

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,954,766, 15 October 2000, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$16,779,636, 19 November 2000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$31,355,910, 26 November 2000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Prufrock Pictures, Avery Pix, Castle Rock Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Janusz Kaminski's directorial debut.

---

Goofs

(at around 2 mins) The film opens with a caption purporting to be a Bible verse: ". And the world as we know it will be no more. (Deuteronomy 17)" In fact, there is no such passage in any part of the Bible.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Maya Larkin: Look at you. Come here. I told you, you've got to double-knot those things. One of these days we'll have to get you some zipper shoes.

---

Crazy Credits

The initial credits appear as numbers morphing into letters plus a reversed shadow.

---

Connections

Referenced in Grosse Pointe: Boys on the Side (2000)

---

Soundtracks

Tijuana Lady
Written by Ian Ball, Paul Blackburn, Thomas Gray, Benjamin Ottewell (as Benjamin Jo Attewell), Oliver Peacock (as Oliver James Peacock)
Performed by Gomez
Courtesy of Virgin Records Limited under license from Virgin Records America, Inc.

User Reviews

One of the most underrated horror films of the decade.

I can make absolutely no sense of each and every one star review which calls this film horrible as well as the 4.7 rating. It is unfathomable to me. The cinematography alone should warrant a rating of at least 5.

This is a subtle religious horror flick that I have to assume people rejected because of the lack of scares and gore. However, the performances, direction and cinematography are all top notch. Though Lost Souls was marketed to look like a demonic scare-fest, I would compare this film to the likes of The Exorcism of Emily Rose. In fact, I would not be surprised if the makers of that film borrowed quite heavily from this one, both in style and effects.

The premise is relatively simple: A small religious sect believe the coming of the anti-Christ to be near, sitting dormant in a human body.

The biggest praise that I can bestow upon this film is that over 12 years later, this film still looks like it could have been made yesterday. In fact, it looks uncannily more modern than a large majority of recent horror efforts. Lost Souls simply does not age.

Another popular factor in why this movie is so poorly rated and received is the fact that audiences just did not like the ending. I feel sorry for those that do not. The ending is original, and though it did not satisfy blood thirsty Hollywood horror fans, it is very much appropriate for this film. To put it simply without spoiling anything: faith is the central core to Lost Souls, those with it and those without. That is what this ending plays off of, and I think it's perfect. Please do not let any of these negative reviews divert you from seeing this film.

This is not End of Days or Stigmata. Lost Souls is not camp in the slightest. It is a dark, beautifully shot and well acted film that is significantly ahead of it's time.

7/10