"I know what you did last Blair Matrix!" I love horror films and this is one of the most refreshing I've ever seen. "Lost Things" has that unsettling, true-to-life feel of "Blair Witch". It takes the archetypal "teens in trouble" formula but then twists the familiar plot into a powerful and unsettling existential psycho-horror story. My "Matrix" reference is nothing to do with bullet time photography or Kung Fu but more about the way "Lost Things" bends perception of time and throws into question the nature of reality.
"Lost Things" not only celebrates and exploits familiar cinematic-horror elements, it blends them into something bigger than the sum of its parts and ends up being a wholly original and wonderfully disturbing entity. It's a slow pace to start with, which I appreciate in these days of high-octane, smart-alec, body-count horror flicks. Whilst being boldly 21st century, "Lost Things" shares the virtues of classics like "burnt offerings" and the "Changeling" - films that take the time to have you care for the characters and build a 'platform of reality' that makes the horror all the more effective once that platform begins to tilt. And once the momentum kicks in there is plenty of suspense.
Director Martin Murphy is a craftsman and he's got together a great team. The sound track and design is harrowingly beautiful. The cinematography, editing, design and direction are congruent, all working together to deliver the story with clarity and atmosphere. Murphy has drawn intense and honest performances from his actors. The Actors well serve Stephen Sewell's terrific script, capturing the darkness, humour and vulnerability of adolescent social/sexual politics. Murphy is obviously working with a tiny budget but he knows what he's doing so we don't miss the crane and tracking shots at all. Far from it - this is one of those great indie films that exploits and transcends the low budget restrictions.
"Lost things" is a highly enjoyable and unique yarn of a horror film. Complex yet accessible, it creeps in under the skin and continues to seep deeper into the bones. Well worth checking out.