Short Attention Span Review: Lost Souls (2000)

Short Attention Span Review: Lost Souls (2000)

I guess I need to start with some disclaimers here, as I'm clearly in the minority when it comes to this poorly regarded biblical horror feature from 2000.  Yes, I may have quite a Winona Ryder jones.  Always have, always will.  Yes, biblical horror creeps me out, but that doesn't mean that everything in this particular sub-genre gets a pass.  In fact, while I often seek such fare out, few pictures in this realm impress me, though the standouts (The Exorcist, duh, and Angel Heart, which remains terribly underrated) rank very high on my list*.  For instance, Stigmata was released a year prior to Lost Souls and garnered much better reviews, and I thought it was quite the turd.  Lost Souls does have its flaws, to include an abrupt conclusion that many deem anti-climatic.  It is hard to dispute that notion, but at the same time, I think the ending is both appropriate and fulfilling.  The big gun where my affection for Lost Souls is concerned is pretty simple: it genuinely creeps me out.  And yes, I find Winona to be superb in the lead role.  Ben Chaplin does a good job as well, and I thought Janusz Kaminski showed incredible promise as a director.  The exorcism scenes are particularly creative and deliver some serious jolts, and atmosphere is one of the picture's biggest strengths.  Lost Souls is very lean for this type of film, and when you combine this with a raw and gritty feel, it distinguishes this one from some of the more deliberate and polished genre pictures of its era.  It arrived at a time when cheeky and self-aware horror movies were all the rage, and I often wonder if that is why it received such a dismal response.  Of course, it is also entirely possible that I'm overstating matters and I'm walking the narrow path in this review because Lost Souls isn't that good of a movie.  I won't hail it as a classic, but in my humble opinion, it is a thrilling venture that will scare the hell out of you.  That's often my criteria for a thumb's up, so I'm going out on a limb here and proclaiming this much-maligned flick to be worth your time in spite of what you've heard.

*In fact, The Exorcist occupies the top spot on my list.  See my Top 20 Horror Movies piece from 2015 here.

Final Grade: B

Winona brings some major intensity to her role and makes for a great lead.

Top 20 Horror Novels - #6) The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty (from 1971)

Not only am I ranking my Top 20 Horror Movies for you this October, but I'm doing likewise with the scary books that I hold near and dear.  As with the movies that I'm discussing in that Top 20, I'm not attempting to rank these novels based on their place in pop culture, but rather their place in my heart.  Isn't that sweet?  Seriously, there are some fine books that didn't make the cut here because there just wasn't room, and there are definitely some well-regarded books that didn't make the cut because I don't really like them.  That also means there are some personal favorites of mine on this list that you may not have heard of.  If that's the case, I promise that I'll reward your trust with a gnarly tale if you give one of them a spin.  Finally, I may have shortchanged some of the titans in the genre (hey there, Stephen King) as I didn't want to overload this list with titles by the same author, though Uncle Stevie did manage to score three direct hits on my list.

The list thus far:

#20) Amok by George Fox (from 1980) 
#19) Manstopper by Douglas Borton (from 1988)
#18) Intensity by Dean Koontz (from 1995)
#17) The Terror by Dan Simmons (from 2007) 
#16) The Snake by John Godey (from 1978)
#15) Son of the Endless Night by John Farris (from 1985)
#14) Rockinghorse by William W. Johnstone (from 1986) 
#13) Vampire$ by John Steakley (from 1990)
#12) Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg (from 1978)
#11) Christine by Stephen King (from 1983)
#10) The Manitou by Graham Masterton (from 1975)
#9) At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft (from 1936)
#8) All Heads Turn When the Hunt Goes By by John Farris (from 1977)
#7) Hell House by Richard Matheson (from 1971)

Top 20 Horror Novels - #6) The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty (from 1971)

 It's common knowledge that the book is always better than the movie, and this remains the case even if a film based on a book is a startling success.  In fact, this holds true even if the movie is a legitimate classic, as is the case with William Peter Blatty's defining achievement, The Exorcist.  The movie is a faithful adaptation, so readers who have never experienced the novel won't find any shocking differences.  They will find greater depth and stronger characterizations, and a greater sense of dread that grows steadily until the horrifying conclusion.  One subplot, which concerns the demon that has possessed young Reagan MacNeil toying with Father Karras by making it clear that darkest evil is at work while neglecting to provide him with the necessary proof to clear an exorcism with the church, plays a much larger role in the book.  Yet I think it is safe to say that William Friedkin did an excellent job of translating this powerful chiller to the screen, and both the novel and the movie tell the same story.  It's just that books allow for a more immersive experience, and forging a greater bond with Chris MacNeil and Father Karras only serves to escalate the mind-numbing terror that the author generates with his bold and fearsome story.  The prose is exceptional, with Blatty's gift for crafting compelling characters and his loving descriptions of grotesque developments elevating this classic tale of good versus evil to immortality.  It has often been stated that the film based on this text is the scariest movie of them all, and I happen to agree with that sentiment.  By placing The Exorcist at #6 on my list, I'm letting everyone know that William Peter Blatty's book is worthy of the same sort of  praise, and it is a far richer experience than its cinematic counterpart.

Bonus Points: Blatty's sequel, Legion, is also an impressive novel, and anyone who enjoys The Exorcist should take the time to read it as well.

Top 20 Horror Novels - #15) Son of the Endless Night by John Farris (from 1985)

Not only am I ranking my Top 20 Horror Movies for you this October, but I'm doing likewise with the scary books that I hold near and dear.  As with the movies that I'm discussing in that Top 20, I'm not attempting to rank these novels based on their place in pop culture, but rather their place in my heart.  Isn't that sweet?  Seriously, there are some fine books that didn't make the cut here because there just wasn't room, and there are definitely some well-regarded books that didn't make the cut because I don't really like them.  That also means there are some personal favorites of mine on this list that you may not have heard of.  If that's the case, I promise that I'll reward your trust with a gnarly tale if you give one of them a spin.  Finally, I may have shortchanged some of the titans in the genre (hey there, Stephen King) as I didn't want to overload this list with titles by the same author, though Uncle Stevie did manage to score three direct hits on my list.

The list thus far:

#20) Amok by George Fox (from 1980) 
#19) Manstopper by Douglas Borton (from 1988)
#18) Intensity by Dean Koontz (from 1995)
#17) The Terror by Dan Simmons (from 2007) 
#16) The Snake by John Godey (from 1978)

Top 20 Horror Novels - #15) Son of the Endless Night by John Farris (from 1985)

This is the first novel from John Farris to make my list, but it won't be the last.  Farris is one of three authors who will have more than one entry in this Top 20, and truth be told, he's my favorite.  Now, I think that Stephen King is probably a better writer, but no one is able to manipulate me quite the way that this impressive southern author with a diminutive public persona does.  Farris has hit me with twists that were so hard that I spent several minutes reading the same paragraph over and over again and trying to figure out if my copy of the book was fucked up before I finally got it.  He has written tales where the guy you believe to be the protagonist for the first third of the book turns out to be the antagonist.  He is an amazing talent, and it's a shame that many who love the horror genre as much as I do are unfamiliar with his work.  Son of the Endless Night is one of his biggest and boldest tales, and it features several of this author's trademarks, to include at least one major twist and several perverse and terrifying sequences.  The characters are robust and extremely entertaining, yet Farris doesn't deal in caricatures, so these vibrant figures are well-defined and believable.  There have been several horror yarns that deal with possession over the years, but there is only one (yes, that one, and it will be featured much higher on my list) that I consider to be superior to Son of the Endless Night.  This book is overflowing with intriguing figures, haunting themes, and shocking moments.  It contains one of my favorite characters ever, one Conor Devon, a failed priest who decided to become a professional wrestler.  There is a part where he decides to find out if a primary character is truly possessed (Conor couldn't cut it as a priest because he doesn't really believe in such things) by touching that character with a Catholic wafer, and this has to be one of my favorite sequences ever put on paper.   One particular subplot involving a pair of bible-thumpers who drive a big rig that is totally pimped out for Jesus is maybe a bit too much, but I enjoyed it.  In the end, Son of the Endless Night may not be the best possession tale out there, but it is a terrifying odyssey into demonic terror courtesy of a true master who deserves a much higher standing in the literary world.

Short Attention Span Review: Deliver Us from Evil (2014)

Here's the thing about possession movies: in the end, they must be measured against The Exorcist.  In particular, since possession movies typically require an exorcism to close things out, such an ending will always be judged against William Friedkin's epic "The power of Christ compels you" finale.  So, how does Deliver Us from Evil stack up against the scariest movie of all time?  I think it may in fact be the second-best possession movie that I have watched, and I figured that was the ceiling for this movie going in.  First off, we have a couple of capable leads.  Eric Bana does a nice job as a violent cop with an uncanny knack for picking the right (or wrong) cases.  As good as Bana is, he is overshadowed here by Edgar Ramirez as the coolest priest ever to grace the screen, but both roles are well-developed and expertly realized.  Joel McHale turns in a solid performance in a supporting role as Bana's adrenaline-junkie partner (yes, he offers up a lot of wisecracks, some of which are funny), and in doing so he provides us with one of the best fight scenes you're apt to see in a horror movie.  The plot offers up a nice mishmash of thriller and horror elements, and the mood is suitably creepy throughout.  There are few good jump scares to be had and Deliver Us from Evil moves along at a nice pace while still managing to flesh out the characters a bit here and there.  Finally, we get to the exorcism, and I have to give director Scott Derrickson credit for delivering the goods.  It's creative, it's gruesome, and it's very exciting.  It doesn't have the emotional impact or the sheer terror of the The Exorcist's closing reel, but it takes a damn good shot at the title.  Like the movie itself, I feel that it was second only to the scariest movie of all time in that regard.  Don't buy into the "based on actual events" mumbo-jumbo, as it doesn't bear any meaningful resemblance to any of the cases the main character detailed in his book.  Do buy into the movie, however, for it's a gripping frightfest that is both scary and entertaining. 

Serious Bonus Points: the music of The Doors figures into the plot and is sprinkled throughout the picture to great effect.  How could I possibly give this movie a bad review when our wild and crazy priest begins the big exorcism at the end of the movie by quoting Jim Morrison ("Is everybody in?  Is everybody in?  The ceremony is about to begin.")  and "Break on Through (To the Other Side)" plays over the credits.

Final Grade: B+

"Hey you, blogger--come over here and look me in the face
and tell me that I got overshadowed by that fruity priest."