Jack Ketchum's best-selling book "The Lost" is being released as a DVD from Anchor Bay on March 18th.
The film was adapted for the screen and directed by Chris Sivertson (I Know Who Killed Me).
"The Lost" is a study of bad people, ordinary places and (on surface) normal events gone horribly wrong.
Sociopath Ray Pye (played by Marc Senter) is bored easily and that's bad news for everyone around him. His sycophantic friends join him in one dead-end adventure of drink, drugs and delinquency after another.
His performance and character's "look" harken a bit of Anthony Perkins from "Psycho" - a bit of Crispin Glover from "Willard" - as he plays and manipulates the women in his life, from his harpy mother to his captivating new girlfriend who eventually tries to extricate herself from his pathological fixation.
Ray's charisma is oddball; his lined eyes and propensity to wear cowboy boots with crushed beer cans as ersatz heel lifts heighten the sense of dread that no good will come of any scene he is in. No redeeming moments; no epiphanies of conscience.
There's a yesteryear feeling to the kind of horror film "The Lost" is; it is not as graphic as "Hostel" or "Saw," but still has many visually intense scenes none the less. The film is served brilliantly by cinematographer Zoran Popovic. His camera work is exemplary and makes the stark scenes all the more powerful.
Monsters and Critics spoke to Marc Senter regarding his starring role as Ray Pye in "The Lost":
M&C: How did you prepare for this otherworldly small-town character Ray Pye?
Marc Senter: That's a fully loaded question…where to begin? Jack Ketchum's novel, Chris Sivertson's adapted script, and a book called Cold Blooded by John Gilmore (about the real-life serial killer upon whom Ketchum's novel is loosely based) became my bibles; they were indispensable to me from the moment I was cast until the end of the shoot.
And after many hours of researching and exploring with both my esteemed acting coach Susana Morris (Eric Morris's wife/partner in crime) and Chris, I started creating the blue print.
Also, I basically lived at my acting studio, and when I wasn't there, or spending time with Chris, I was obsessively listening to and watching Elvis, (Ray's hero) adopting his all black wardrobe, (including lots of eyeliner and cowboy boots padded with crushed Budweiser cans) and just diving head first into this guy…
M&C: What was your favorite scene in the film?
Marc Senter: I'm not sure if I have a "favorite scene", but I will have to say that I really enjoy the last 15-20 minutes of the film because of the totally insane experience we all had shooting it, and how it eventually translated on screen.
Everyone's emotions, especially mine, were bouncing off the walls, and I feel like the ending sequence is full of irreverence, spontaneity and surprise. Chris, being the wonderful director that he is, encouraged and welcomed me to go with my impulses, which is of the utmost importance to me, and I feel like they were very much alive and cookin' at the end of the movie…
M&C: You are emulating a Johnny Depp-like leap from smallscreen to film, what genre are you itching to try out other than horror?
Marc Senter: COMEDY!!!!!!!!
M&C: Who are your acting influences?
Marc Senter: Well, speaking of the man, I'd have to say Johnny Depp (his interview on Inside the Actor's Studio actually led me to my acting coaches), Eric and Susana Morris, Montgomery Clift, Marlon Brando, Daniel Day-Lewis, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Heath Ledger, to name a few…
M&C: How did Chris Sivertson find you for Ray?
Marc Senter: I auditioned for him! After the second time I read for him he made me wait three weeks before telling me I got the part.
I was invited to meet him and his producer, Lucky McKee, for lunch at El Coyote - one of his favorite Mexican restaurants. It was there that he offered me the role. I will have to say that was one of the better steak fajitas I have ever tasted…
M&C: Any memorable moments from the set or production of the film you care to share?
Marc Senter: There are so many... one that comes to mind took place on the first day of filming. I was so nervous that I spent the majority of the morning in my trailer praying to the porcelain gods. I heard this also happens to Dustin Hoffman quite often, and I wonder if that's true… if so then I guess I'm in good company.
I'm pretty sure the three Red Bulls and cups of coffee at 8 am didn't help the situation, but that first day was definitely a doozie… it just hit me how much I had ahead of me.
Much later, after filming had wrapped, I discovered that Mr.Sivertson was on a similar regiment that day. Glad to hear that my director and I could share such a memorable, though unpleasant, experience.
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"The Lost" cast includes: Michael Bowen (Kill Bill), Dee Wallace-Stone (The Hills Have Eyes, Rob Zombie's Halloween), Ed Lauter (True Romance, The Number 23), Megan Henning (Seventh Heaven), and Erin Brown aka Misty Mundae (Masters of Horror: Sick Girl).
DVD Bonus features include: "Losing" yourself within The Lost will be easy
The Lost is now available for pre-order at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for this version of the DVD in the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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