I cannot emphasize enough how great this disturbing 2006 thriller, based on a novel by the late/great splatterpunk author Jack Ketchum, is. Set in Sparta, New Jersey it’s about the psychotic Ray Pye (played with fiendish glee by Marc Senter) who crushes beer cans in his boots to make himself look taller, slicks back his jet-black hair and wears eyeliner to accentuate his coolness. He’s out drinking in the woods with his masochistic girlfriend Jennifer (Shay Astar) and his drug mule doormat pal Tim (Alex Frost) when he spies two women out camping. He gets set off by what he assumes are “lezzies!” and shoots them for the hell of it, much to his friends’ horror.
The movie shifts years later where it’s obvious Ray has gotten away with the crime and is working for his mother at the Starlight Motel, while a cop keeps a beady eye on his movements, convinced he’s the killer. But Ray is too busy juggling women, snorting coke, getting more irrational, the flies buzzing in his head louder and louder. It’s only a matter of time before it’s killing time again.
The ending is so beyond the pale you will not believe it- it’s insanely violent and seriously shocking but in keeping with the dark tone of Ketchum’s novel. Directed by Chris Sivertson (who took undeserved critical hits for his film starring Lindsay Lohan– I Know Who Killed Me– which was loony and enjoyable). The Lost a brutal film but a brilliant one.
I later realized that this was loosely based on the notorious serial killer Charles Schmid– the Pied Piper of Tuscon, who killed several women in 1964. Schmid, who liked to be called “Smitty” dyed his hair, created a fake mole on his cheek, wore thick makeup on his face, placed crushed beer cans in his boots to make himself taller and bragged that he was in a band- much like Ray Pye. Schmid made several escape attempts from prison and was finally killed by other prisoners in 1975. When you see photographs of Schmid (included here) you realize what a great casting choice Marc Senter was. Senter gives the kind of go-for-broke performance that is thrilling and frightening to watch. This Ronin Flix “Limited Edition” Blu-ray is a 2K remaster from a 4K scan of the film negative. It also comes with never-before-seen bonus materials featuring the cast and crew.
