Lost Things
| Year: | 2003 |
| Production Co: | Agenda Film Productions |
| Director: | Martin Murphy |
| Writer: | Stephen Sewell |
| Cast: | Leon Ford, Charlie Garber, Lenka Kripac, Alex Vaughan, Steve Le Marquand |
An absolutely brilliant psychological horror film with a mood, a purpose and a twist - just about everything. The strength of the idea makes the dodgy acting pale into comparison.
Four teenage friends go camping to a remote beach for the weekend under typical circumstances - the boys want to surf and get the girls into bed, the girls want to impress and get the best pickings for themselves.
Aside from a nagging feeling they've been here before, there's nothing to worry about. But after an enigmatic stranger (Le Marquand) appears to warn them the place isn't nice because three kids were murdered there a few years before, things start turning strange.
It's not entirely clear what every scene and sequence means, but you can feel it all fitting. Never before has the middle of the day been so scary as things turn from weird to frightening as the four try to get on with their relaxing weekend, never quite sure what's wrong.
Something's very wrong, however, and it's a secret I'd sew my mouth shut before giving it away. Yes you might guess it before it's revealed, but it's the execution and the style of the film that makes it so impactful.
The dialogue, some of the camerawork and the performances are kind of amateurish, and about halfway through it suffers a little Matrix syndrome where the only character who knows what's going on keeps talking in riddles to prepare everyone for the awful truth instead of saying 'okay, here's what's going on'.
But it's one of the most effective and ultimately damning psychological horror films you'll see, let alone from Australia.
Four teenage friends go camping to a remote beach for the weekend under typical circumstances - the boys want to surf and get the girls into bed, the girls want to impress and get the best pickings for themselves.
Aside from a nagging feeling they've been here before, there's nothing to worry about. But after an enigmatic stranger (Le Marquand) appears to warn them the place isn't nice because three kids were murdered there a few years before, things start turning strange.
It's not entirely clear what every scene and sequence means, but you can feel it all fitting. Never before has the middle of the day been so scary as things turn from weird to frightening as the four try to get on with their relaxing weekend, never quite sure what's wrong.
Something's very wrong, however, and it's a secret I'd sew my mouth shut before giving it away. Yes you might guess it before it's revealed, but it's the execution and the style of the film that makes it so impactful.
The dialogue, some of the camerawork and the performances are kind of amateurish, and about halfway through it suffers a little Matrix syndrome where the only character who knows what's going on keeps talking in riddles to prepare everyone for the awful truth instead of saying 'okay, here's what's going on'.
But it's one of the most effective and ultimately damning psychological horror films you'll see, let alone from Australia.