Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Marva-nova Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

highwaytourist If beautiful, haunting images made a film, this would be a classic. The color is both dark and somewhat bleached, and as s result, even the most mundane places look eerie and Gothic. There are some well-chosen locations and great camera angles. In short, this film looks great, ideal for the storyline. But the story itself never really takes off. Wynona Ryder, who's beautiful with long hair, plays the assistant to some priests who special in exorcisms, and she becomes convinced that a famed author, well-played by Ben Chaplin, has been chosen to be the anti-Christ. But the story never becomes as scary as it could have been. Not helping is that the screenwriters haven't done their homework on the subject. And the ending is dull, and so abrupt, it seems that the filmmakers pasted it on because they didn't know what to do with the story and were running low on film. There are a few scattered thrills and a few moments of suspense, but not enough of them.

Jim Menke Listening to the director's comment track on the DVD makes it obvious that he did not understand the story and background at all. His focus was on the cinematography which is understandable since this is his main occupation. This was his first director job. He did not understand the religious parts of the film at all. This led to many faults that were not resolved. He stated he did not want to do what "The Exorcist" had done so refused to clarify the story. He was the wrong person to direct this film and it shows.He stated that he took the original script and completely reworked it from the original intent. It is obvious he did not know the religious ideas therefore making a mess of what could have been a really good film.

DVD_Connoisseur "Lost Souls" is a visual feast directed by Janusz Kaminski, the cinematographer for most of Steven Spielberg's recent blockbusters. Despite the impressive surface veneer, the film lacks any real dramatic tension, though there are a few spine tingling set-pieces. Winona Ryder and Ben Chaplin deliver perfectly acceptable performances but the film is missing the necessary "x" factor. It feels flat overall and the finale is a pathetic, damp squib of an ending. With so much talent on tap, this is a wasted opportunity to produce a memorable addition to the horror genre.Those seeking a decent satanic movie would be best checking out the original "Exorcist", "Exorcist III" or "The Exorcism of Emily Rose". Alternatively, the Italian film "L'Anticristo" offers alternative exorcism thrills and spills.6 out of 10.

Mr_Ectoplasma "Lost Souls" is an eerie religious horror/thriller from first time director Janusz Kaminski, an Academy Award winning cinematographer. The movie follows Maya (Winona Ryder), a religious Catholic woman who is very spiritual and is a part of a small group of fellow religious people who perform exorcisms, investigate religious mythology, etc. But she becomes convinced that a famous writer, Peter (Ben Chaplin) has been pre-destined since birth to become a leader for Satan, after decoding the writings of an institutionalized man. When she approaches Peter about her findings, he is skeptical, as most would be. He's not religious and isn't a spiritual person by any means. But Maya and Peter both find themselves stuck in the middle of the bizarre happenings that have been predicted, and a final showdown ensues between the forces of good and evil.As far as religious-themed horror films go, this is a really good one. Religious horror films typically tend to get under my skin, it could be because I was raised Catholic, but they have always tended to scare me much more than say a slasher movie would. So, with "Lost Souls" being a film of this type, it did creep me out a little. The story has been done many times in various different ways ("The Omen" probably being most notable for this), but what I liked about this film was that it was crafted a little differently and wasn't quite what one would expect. The performances here were great, Winona Ryder and Ben Chaplin were both perfect and showed some significant talent. Philip Baker Hall and John Hurt have supporting roles as priests, and they were both also very good. To sum the performances up, the acting was all really wonderful and believable.The cinematography is what really soars in this film though - not surprisingly either, as the director is a cinematographer (who worked on both of Spielberg's "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan") and has won Academy Awards for his work. So naturally, the film looks stunning. Very flashy photography, dark and sometimes almost sepia-toned, and very moody and artistic all at the same time. I really liked the entire movie's 'look'. From what I've read on here it seems like the biggest problem people have with this film is the ending. I personally liked the ending. It was ambiguous. So what? It made you think a little and, while it was a inconclusive, it at least went out with a bang (literally). I've seen other films end in a similar fashion, but I think this film did it pretty well. It was daring and I liked that about it, and it didn't happen too fast.Bottom line - "Lost Souls" is a notch above most religious thrillers, and is very well acted with some amazing cinematography. While the ending may disappoint some, I thought it was at least fitting to the film and it changed the entire perspective of what had lead up to that point - it ended like that for a reason. Really not that bad. 7/10.